The Fifth House
by HikamiTZ
Summary: The Earl of Millennium wants power, and what better way to get it than to forge an empire from broken kingdoms? He never expected a scrawny orphan resembling Prince Allen to get in the way. After all, Prince Allen was dead. AllenxLenaleexLavi and others
1. Prologue

_The Fifth House_  
by HikamiTZ

Prologue

* * *

Who were these people? And what were these shining lights? Little Lenalee had never really been to such a grand event before. This was her first time outside of her home, and it was a bit overwhelming. She clung to the pant leg of her older brother as a precaution, looking curiously at the pretty people all around. Most were just mingling, talking behind fans or over drinks. Not many were her age, but she did spot a little red-head being scolded for his rambunctious behavior.

Komui noticed her grasp when he tried to step forward and leaned over, smiling. "What do you think, Lenalee?" he asked, doing his best to provoke excitement from her.

Almost two years old, Lenalee could only stare up at him with wide eyes and giggle. She let go of him but stayed close by, trotting after as he went to join their father over to the side.

"What about the North?" their father was saying. "You can't mean to tell me you haven't noticed."

The man he was speaking with—a finely dressed man standing proud and relaxed—smiled at the comment. "I'm not one to say nothing is happening, but I have to admit I'm not too worried. So long as Lord Kanda handles things the way he always has, this will all be a matter of the past."

Frowning, their father leaned in a little. "Of course you're right, but I can't help but feel that this must be more than a little scuffle. And he isn't one to watch his back."

The other raised an eyebrow. "You do not believe his trust is well-placed?"

"It isn't that," their father almost whispered. "He just needs to be careful. However strong he may be, he is only one man. It is lucky he has secured several heirs-"

"My, can it be?" the nicely dressed man exclaimed, turning to Komui and Lenalee as they approached. "This strapping young lad couldn't be Prince Komui! It has been so long!"

"It has, Your Majesty." Komui leaned over in a courteous bow.

"You must be fifteen now, right? And who is this little one?" the man asked, offering a hand to Lenalee. She grabbed her brother's pant leg again, watching the stranger warily.

"Dear Lenalee, don't be shy now," her father was saying, giving her a special smile. Lenalee looked up at her brother for reassurance.

Bending down onto his knees, Komui nodded and turned Lenalee to face the strange man. "It's alright, Lenalee."

"Are you Princess Lenalee?" the man asked, smiling warmly. "I'm Mana."

Lenalee thought for several moments before tentatively putting her hand in his outstretched one. Mana's smile widened.

"Say hello, dear," her father said as he walked over.

"Can you say hello, Lenalee?" Komui tried, but Lenalee remained silent. Her eyes were locked on Mana's and her thoughts were elsewhere.

"That's alright," Mana soothed. "Your daughter is very cute, Jin."

At that moment, Lenalee jumped, seeing her mother approach. "So is your son," her mother said, picking her daughter up into her arms. "Though I must say, it's almost hard to believe today is his first birthday. He still seems younger!"

"Ah," Mana grinned, straightening up. "I'm guessing he's a late bloomer. Just you wait, when he's older, he'll be taller than your Komui here." Mana grabbed Komui's shoulder firmly, eliciting little smiles from his parents. Komui looked up at the other man in mild contemplation. Was it just him, or had the king sounded somewhat anxious?

"Lenalee," her mother asked, bouncing her child on her hip, "would you like to go see the baby?"

"I'll take her, Mother," Komui offered. He had yet to say hello to the prince as well.

"Here then." The moment Lenalee was set back on her feet Komui took her hand and led her to the other side of the ballroom. Their parents watched after them, waving when Lenalee turned back to see them.

"They are very close in age," King Jin remarked. "I wonder if they'll get along well."

Mana, who had yet to stop smiling, watched little Lenalee shuffle across the dance floor. "Only time will tell. Every summer then?"

"Give it a few years though."

"Of course."

Lenalee first noticed the fretful nurse sitting by the cradle, watching over its contents, but the nurse backed away as Komui came closer. Komui hoisted Lenalee up to see over the side of the cradle.

Inside was the strangest thing she had ever seen. This was a baby? It was so small! Smaller than even her! It appeared to be just waking up from a nap. A wet trail of drool remained under its lip as it fixated its glossy eyes on the newcomers at its bed.

Lenalee grabbed her brother's collar as the baby started to fidget on his back. Chuckling, Komui took Lenalee's arm from around his neck. "Look, Lenalee. This is Prince Allen."

Lenalee flinched, freezing in place as the thing's eyes turned to her. No matter how she moved about, he followed her with his gaze.

"I think he likes you," Komui encouraged. "Why don't you say hi?"

Lenalee looked back and forth between the baby and her brother. He seemed expectant of her, so she raised her hand and shook it back and forth quickly before clinging back to her brother. The baby smiled, a tiny giggle escaping his mouth. At the sound, Lenalee raised her head.

Allen stared wide eyed at her, feeling somewhat jealous that she got to be held. He kind of wanted to be held by someone other than that nurse. All that strange lady ever did was run around his cradle and make too much noise. Allen began kicking his legs, making strange sounds that piqued Lenalee's curiosity.

Well, maybe this baby wasn't so bad after all. It was a _little _cute…

Lenalee reached out a hand to the baby, not quite sure what she was going to do, but she didn't have time to decide that when Allen grabbed her finger. She tried to pull back in shock, but Allen's hold on her was very firm. He giggled as he tried to bounce her hand, shaking the confused girl in the process. Komui laughed before reaching out to save his little sister from the death grip of the prince.

Glaring, Lenalee snuggled into her brother's shoulder again, peering out from the folds of his clothes. Allen just continued to giggle, turning red in the face.

"Nngh!" Lenalee whined as saliva dribbled down the baby's chin.

"You used to do that, too," Komui said, almost smirking. "I remember it. Whenever I held you, you'd make a mess of my shirt."

Lenalee shook her head vigorously, silently pleading for her brother to shut up. This was definitely not something she wanted to think about.

"You were a fussy one. Always wanting to be held," and here, Komui took her in his hands and raised her above the crib. Allen stared at her in confusion before flailing his arms, wanting to fly like that too. On the other hand, Lenalee's voice was rising dramatically in pitch.

"No!" she screamed, one of the few words she had down solidly in her vocabulary. The nurse had jumped up at the noise, worried over the baby despite Allen's clear enjoyment of the transpiring events. But before she could do anything, Komui felt a soft hand on his shoulder, and he turned around.

Behind him stood a tall, slender woman he had come to know very well. Her narrow features were often hidden by her choices of wardrobe, aiding her in emanating the same presence of an introvert. As a prophet of Komui's kingdom, Hevlaska was revered for her clairvoyance and ability to handle a substance known as Innocence. Innocence, found only in Hevlaska's abode—the mountains of the East—was matter of amazing properties Hevlaska shaped to serve those of royal blood. This divine rite would be proof of one's royal heritage as well as provide protection against those who might seek to harm him or her. She had brought Innocence for Lenalee just a year before and was in the process of molding it into a shape fitting of the princess's capabilities, and now she had come to do the same for Allen.

"Your Highness," she greeted in a stoic tone. Komui brought Lenalee back to his chest, allowing her to cling to him again as he turned to face the prophet. She bowed courteously at his gentle smile. "It is an honor."

"Hev, must you be that way?" Komui joked. He knew his pleasantries and practiced them when necessary, but Hevlaska was a friend, and he wanted to enjoy spending time with her. "The kids won't tell anybody."

Hevlaska smiled softly at Lenalee, who just snuggled up tighter to her brother. "It is always nice to see you, Prince Komui."

"You don't come around a lot, anymore," Komui pointed out. "If you did, maybe that wouldn't be the case."

The joke was not audibly laughed at, but both felt easier after it had passed, as if the laughter had sifted through their insides without reaching their throats. "I've been busy procuring suitable Innocence for this affair, I'm afraid." Both of them looked down into the cradle at the happy baby. Allen, having grown bored since he had lost his spectators, was now chewing on his blanket. Hevlaska reached into the cradle and stroked Allen's forehead, hardly distracting the boy from his activity. Reaching into her robe, Hevlaska drew out a glowing gem and held it above the baby. Allen was dazzled by it, his jaw falling slack and relinquishing his blanket as he tried to grab at what Hevlaska had. Lenalee was fascinated as well, raising her head and trying to climb over Komui.

"Now, now," Komui said, holding Lenalee back. "You've got your own."

Allen stretched his little arms as far as he could, but Hevlaska pulled the shining thing away. As her hands receded into her robes again, Allen began to show the warning signs of crying. Before he could, Hevlaska brought out another piece of Innocence. All it did was serve to infuriate the baby further as he tried to reach the tantalizing object. Undeterred, Hevlaska repeated this process, drawing out more Innocence to test with the baby. It took a good seven tries before anything happened.

Lenalee's eyes widened when the latest piece began to shine brilliantly, blinding Allen. The baby, upset by this turn of events, began to wail loudly. As the light died down, Hevlaska leaned over the side to check on the boy, only to have him steal the Innocence from her hand when it came within reach. Komui snorted as Hevlaska retracted her hand in shock.

"Guess he's hungry," he laughed, watching as Allen tried to bite his prize. Lenalee giggled a little too, mostly because her brother was laughing, but partly because the little baby looked so silly in his determination to chew his way through the rock.

Hevlaska was almost frozen, staring curiously at her hand. She turned it over thoughtfully, mulling in thought.

"Hev?" Komui asked, unsure about her silence. Hevlaska ignored him and reached her hand out again to touch the little boy, resting a finger against the arm that held so tightly on his newly acquired Innocence. Her eyelids twitched a little before closing momentarily. When she opened them once more, she rested her solemn gaze on Allen for a long pause.

"Oh…" she said distantly, walking her fingers up the baby's arm. Allen giggled as she tickled him a little, providing the opening she needed to take the Innocence back. Komui raised an eyebrow, readjusting Lenalee into a more comfortable position.

"'Oh?'" a deep voice said. King Mana had been lurking behind them throughout the entire display, causing Komui to jump a little at his question. "Is something the matter?"

"Your Majesty," Hevlaska muttered, turning the Innocence over to inspect it further. "Your son's Innocence is a little…different."

Mana smiled questioningly. "That's not a bad thing, I hope?"

Hevlaska turned to the monarch, cupping the Innocence in her hands. "In a way, no. It is not immediately harmful. It just…I saw something in it."

"What did you see?" asked the king.

The mood was turning too serious for Lenalee, who had become fidgety. Komui let her down onto her feet as Hevlaska presented the Innocence to Mana. The king's eyes locked on the prophet's as she spoke.

"Your Majesty's son will destroy Time."

Lenalee grabbed Komui's hand and began to pull on it. He did his best to calm her, intrigued by the woman's statement. "What does that mean?"

The two adults glared at the prince for his interruption. Komui took a step back warily, concluding that maybe leaving was a good idea after all. Lenalee's relentless tugging won out as he let her lead him away. Lenalee had set her sights on a particular corner of the grand hall. A flock of smaller people were buzzing around against the wall, some of them possibly being her age. Komui followed her over to the children of the House of Kanda.

When they had achieved privacy, Mana turned to whisper to Hevlaska, "By 'Time,' I assume you-"

"I'm sure Your Majesty knows more on the matter than I do," Hevlaska interjected, placing the Innocence back in her cloak. "I should hope to visit His Highness many times before he turns sixteen, so that I might come to understand the true nature of his Innocence and make its shape better suited to his needs."

"Of course," Mana said quickly, resting a hand on the edge of the crib. He peered pensively inside at his baby boy. Allen gave his father a big smile. "Of course."

* * *

The feet of soldiers scurried across the dirt hastily, setting up in proper order. Marshal Yeegar, exiting his carriage, nodded at the head of each line tracing the path to the castle, immensely satisfied. The straight faces remained stoic as another grander carriage came to a stop before them. This carriage was bedecked with tapestry and seals befitting of a king, and the footman immediately opened the covered door. Marshall Yeegar dismissed the man and waited dutifully for King Mana to descend the carriage steps and meet him.

When the king planted his feet on the ground, he smiled at the sight before him. Marshal Klaud Nine, at the head of the line, bowed when their eyes met. "Your Majesty, was it a fair journey?"

"Yes it was," Mana affirmed, walking up to meet the marshal. "We made favorable time."

"I am glad to hear it," the marshal said, straightening up as another emerged from the carriage. He shook his legs when he reached the ground as though they might have fallen asleep from sitting for so long. Klaud watched him approach them, taking in the younger one's nervous stature and downcast eyes. "Is this Prince Allen?"

The said boy dug his heel in the ground shyly, sneaking to hide behind his father. Mana stepped out of the way, leaving Allen to present himself properly.

The marshal's eyes softened as she leaned over in another bow. "Pleased to meet you, Your Highness."

Allen looked up, jumping when his eyes met with the older woman's. His back went rigid and his arms shot straight down as he closed his eyes and pronounced very clearly and mechanically, "It is very nice to meet you, too, madam." When this was done, he peeked through one eye up at his father. The king and the two marshals chuckled softly before Mana's hand forced Allen's shoulders down into a relaxed position.

"Has Lord Kanda arrived?" Mana asked.

"Yes, two days ago," Klaud answered, turning once again to Allen. "I believe that his children are in the courtyard. Would you like for me to take you there?"

"No need," Yeegar waved, "I will take him. Please escort His Majesty instead."

Allen jumped when Marshal Yeegar's hand settled on his head and directed him through the gates of the grand palace. His little legs scurried to keep up with the older man's stride and he threw a fleeting glance back at his father, who just waved merrily at him.

"It's about time you got to meet others your age, don't you think, Your Highness?" the marshal remarked, a chuckle hiding in his voice. Allen didn't know if he could agree. He was a little anxious about meeting other people—he had a hard enough time with the people he already knew. With each step they took down the hall, Allen felt more and more nervous.

Blinking, Allen stopped in his tracks. He thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye moving behind the pillars. Yeegar was quite a few steps ahead when he realized Allen was no longer following him and stopped as well.

"Prince Allen," he inquired curiously, "is something the matter?"

Allen stood silently for a long moment watching the shadows on the wall before turning back to his escort and shaking his head. With a little smile, he hurried after the marshal.

Until something caught his ankle and Allen fell facedown on the floor.

"Your Highness!" the marshal called, rushing back to the little boy who had tripped. Allen sat up and rubbed his nose gingerly where he had squashed it flat.

"Ow…" he whined, looking back at his foot. Marshal Yeegar inspected it as well, plucking at a tiny string that was now tangled around Allen's leg.

"A wire?" he said, pulling on it after he had removed Allen from the trap. Light, faint laughter could be heard echoing in the corridor, drawing little Allen to look around. A particularly large shadow on the wall started moving around, making strange, frightening shapes. Animal noises boomed loudly and Allen jumped, squealing in fright. While Allen freaked out, an unimpressed Marshal Yeegar strolled casually to the pillars lined neatly in front of the wall.

"Come on out, Your Grace," he said calmly, grabbing something from behind the pillar and pulling firmly on it.

Allen stopped his panicking when he saw the scruffy ruffian Marshal Yeegar had captured by the collar. The boy—older than Allen, if his height was any indication—struggled ferociously with the old man, but his efforts were in vain.

"Hey, put me down, old man!" he cried, kicking all the way as Yeegar brought him over to present to the younger prince.

"Your Highness, this is Lavi, Duke of Swane," the marshal explained, setting the hooligan on the floor. Irritably, the said duke brushed himself off and cursed the marshal under his breath.

"I can do it myself!" Lavi huffed, turning back to Allen and smiling (smirking?) widely. "Yo, the name's Lavi, nice ta meet 'cha. Quite a fall you just took there."

Allen stood up, silently in shock at having suddenly been thrown into an introduction (and a really poor one at that). He wasn't quite sure how to respond to such a crude manner of speech.

"H-Hello," he stuttered, "My name…"

"Allen, right? Gramps was telling me you'd show up soon," Lavi interrupted, taking a few marching steps down the hall. "How old are you? Five?"

Allen opened and closed his mouth several times in the manner of a fish before coming to his senses and shaking his head vigorously. "No, I'm eight…"

"Hmm…makes no difference!" Lavi said gleefully. "I'm still older than you!" With that, he ran laughing down the hall.

Bewildered, Allen could only stand there for a long moment before Marshal Yeegar tapped him on the shoulder. When the man continued down the hall as well, Allen realized he was being left behind.

"Well, are you coming or not?" Lavi shouted down the hallway. "Everyone's waiting outside!"

Allen's face morphed into a big frown, and he ran after the marshal through the sunlit threshold. The stone walkways outside opened up immediately into a wide, sunny garden, a gorgeous fountain erected in the center of it. Lavi ran across the grass to a table that had been set up in the shade where many people were sitting.

"Allen!" Lavi called, sitting directly on the table with no one griping at him, "Over here!"

With one last look at the smiling marshal, Allen shyly made his way through the courtyard to the group. Two dark-haired girls sat on a bench by the table, both playing with the hair of an even younger girl sitting on a rock in front of them. In the sun, an interesting display was occurring. An older boy, probably in his late teens, was sparring with another boy who might have just been a little older than Lavi, but they weren't sparring with their fists. They had broken off a few tree limbs and were using them like swords. Another older teen, this one a girl, was standing off to the side anxiously, rooting them on, while another spectator, a boy more around Lavi's age, sat beside her.

"Gah!" the younger fighter cursed, his makeshift weapon flying from his hand. "I hate this stupid stuff!"

"Masaki, you idiot," the taller girl chastised, picking the branch up off the ground, "let me show you how it's done!"

"Heeeeeey, everyone!" Lavi yelled, jumping on top of the table. His loud voice momentarily caught the attention of all the children. "We've got a live one!"

Whoever didn't roll their eyes blinked a few times before Lavi pointed at Allen, drawing all of the attention to the little boy. Allen froze as all eyes rested on him.

The girls on the bench stopped primping and came over to meet the prince. "I'm Chiharu," the oldest one explained, probably somewhere around 14 years old. Her little sister, Aimi, introduced herself next, before both chanted in unison, "And this is our _adorable little brother Yu!_"

Both girls grabbed the boy who had been sitting in the lawn around his neck and fussed noisily over him, clearly exasperating the youngest in their family. Yu's angry cries of, "Let me go! Get off!" went unnoticed as his other three siblings greeted the bombarded Allen.

"Allen, right?" asked the boy who had lost the fencing match. "I'm Masaki Kanda, and that grouch over there is Ran."

"I heard that!" growled the oldest girl, not bothering to come over and smack her brother.

"I'm taking a break, Ran," the eldest of the bunch and victor of the previous match said, causing Ran to grumble. He sat at the table Allen stood before and smiled kindly. "Hello, Allen. I'm Jun Kanda."

"All of you are brothers and sisters?" Allen squeaked in disbelief. "Your family is so big!"

Jun chuckled, waving his hand. "Not all of us, don't worry. Lavi over there's on his own, for one. We're just here for the summer." He took a long sip of a glass of lemonade, ignoring Yu's desperate attempts at escaping his sisters' clutches. "Lenalee's the one who owns the place, right?"

The little girl whose hair Aimi and Chiharu had been playing with blushed and smiled, running over to sit on Jun's lap. "Right!"

"Have you said hello, Lenalee?" Masaki asked, leaning over the table. In the background, Yu had freed himself from his siblings and was attempting to fence his oldest sister despite Lavi jeering at him.

The little girl looked at Allen timidly before brightening up and waving energetically at him. "Hi!" she chirped.

Allen waved back uncertainly. Well, excluding Lavi, most of these people didn't seem too bad…

It took a while for him to open up, but after a few glasses of lemonade and laughing at Yu who had to climb up a tree to keep out of the reach of his sisters (who desperately wanted to braid his hair), Allen could tentatively say he had a better time than he expected. He might actually be relatively comfortable around these people.

…with the possible exception of Lenalee's older brother, Komui. But he didn't show up until much later.

* * *

Nearly seven years had passed since Allen had become acquainted with Lenalee, Lavi, and the Kanda children. Every summer, their kingdoms traded off hosting the children, not including Lavi's kingdom. Lavi always seemed to just be along for the ride. Later, the duke explained that he guessed this was because he was so far down in the succession line to the southern throne (somewhere in the twenties). Regardless, Allen's only experiences outside his home were at Lenalee's palace and in Godina, the capital of the North and where the Kanda family resided. His father was very strict about where he was aloud to go, becoming very upset once when Lavi had convinced him to sneak out and into town. Despite any influence King Mana tried to keep Lavi from having on his son, the duke and Allen became good friends, the two nearly inseparable (mainly on Lavi's part—he had gotten Allen, who was always in the wrong place at the wrong time, caught up in quite a few pranks). Lenalee always tagged along in their little escapades, which was usually for the best. She had an uncanny knack for keeping them from getting into too much trouble. Yu usually followed them around, too. With their constant moving around whatever castle they were in, it was far easier to avoid the tormenting ways of his siblings. As a plus, with his sword skills, he also had the ability to keep them from getting into _way_ too much trouble.

As birthdays came and went, so came new presents. Sitting in the same courtyard he had encountered first in Lenalee's home, Allen watched Lavi swing a giant mallet around. The red-head had received his Innocence in weapon form on his sixteenth birthday and had not stopped swinging it around since.

"I think you've gotten all the rats," Allen commented after watching Lavi swing his hammer around aimlessly for over ten minutes.

"Maybe," Lavi agreed, mulling some ideas in his mind over for a moment before retracting the weapon and making it shrink to its original dinky little size. He plopped down next to Allen on the stone steps underneath the extended roof. "So what's yours gonna be, Allen?"

"My anti-akuma weapon?" When Lavi nodded expectantly, Allen shrugged and began bouncing a foot. "I dunno."

"You don't know?" Lavi gawked. "How could you not know?"

Allen shrugged again. "Hevlaska never really sticks with one idea for it."

Lavi frowned, scratching his head. "Well that's no good. I had an idea what mine would be doing ever since I was thirteen."

Allen shifted uncomfortably. He had heard many times before from Hevlaska about how underdeveloped his connection with his Innocence was. At this rate, it would be a miracle if he got his weapon within the next year, in time for his sixteenth birthday.

"Maybe it's a good thing," Allen whispered to himself, unaware Lavi could hear him. "I don't really like the idea of killing things anyways."

Lavi shoved Allen with his elbow, making the younger boy nearly fall over. "You're doing the akuma a favor when you destroy them, you know."

Allen blinked. "I am? But I thought they were living weapons."

"Well yeah," Lavi stated, taking on a pretentious air, "but don't you know how they're ma-?"

"Lavi! Allen!"

Both boys turned around to see Lenalee, followed by her father and King Mana, coming outside. The two stood up to greet the kings and their friend when the new arrivals came close enough.

"Lenalee, it's getting late!" Lavi said, raising an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be getting ready?"

"I could say the same for the two of you," King Mana remarked, placing a hand on his son's shoulder.

"We were just taking care of some rats," Allen explained, gesturing to the duke at his side. "Lavi wanted to get some practice in."

"So you're a mess," King Mana translated, laughing and shaking his head.

"I hope you don't bring that to the ball tonight, Lavi," King Jin warned, nodding at the tiny hammer. "That thing could cause quite a fuss if…"

"Aw, come on!" Lavi whined. "I wouldn't make it grow at a party!" Allen rolled his eyes, knowing that wasn't quite true. Lavi would do_ anything _to impress a lady. He repeated this fact out loud, much to the red-head's ire. "Whose side are you on, Allen?"

"I hope you don't partake," Mana hinted at his son. "I want you dancing with Lenalee tonight."

Allen blinked, eyes turning to Lenalee. Lenalee seemed just as befuddled by the statement. "Um…why?"

"Because that's what fiancés do!" his father said, patting him on the back. Allen's knees gave away and he nearly fell forward from the action.

"_What?!_" he and Lenalee cried simultaneously. Lavi also reacted, sputtering and immediately wondering if this was a joke on par with one of his own pranks.

"We finalized the betrothal today," King Jin explained happily, not noticing the horrified looks on each teen's face.

"_Betrothal?_" Allen said, still not quite believing his ears. "Since when were we betrothed?"

"Well, we've been considering it since you both were just babies," Mana admitted, "but I guess you are officially today."

"_And you decided not to tell us this until now?_" the younger ones screeched in shock, Lavi included. This was all a little much.

"I can count the number of times we've met on my fingers!" Allen cried, raising his hands for good measure. Lenalee could do little more than squeak.

"And you already get along so well!" Mana insisted, grabbing Allen around his shoulder. "It'll be a good thing, trust me!"

The look on Lenalee's face made Allen doubt those words. They were great friends, sure, but _marriage?_ Wasn't that a little extreme?

"How could you do this?" Allen whispered incredulously as his father steered him away, directing him to their guest rooms. A backward glance revealed that Lenalee was still in too much shock to move on her own. Lavi and her father were helping her, her father trying to console his daughter. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking about _you_," his father said curtly, leading him up a flight of stairs.

"But you didn't even talk to me first!"

Mana's grip on his shoulder tightened. "You should not inherit the kingdom without a wife."

"I won't be inheriting it for a while!"

"It is very important that you-"

"That I _what!_" Allen shouted, yanking away from his father's grasp.

Mana threw his arms down with his patience, looking sternly at his seething son. Allen's anger was making him breathe harshly, and he backed away from his father.

"That you produce an heir as quickly as possible," Mana snapped. It was the wrong thing for Allen to hear.

"This is_ insane!_" Allen screamed. "I'm just fifteen years old!"

"I don't mean right aw-"

"_That's not the point!_"

"_Allen!_"

The prince's mouth snapped shut reflexively at his father's loud voice. His father_ never_ raised his voice like that.

"Allen," the king continued softer yet still just as strong, "I am in no safer position than your mother was, and neither will you be so long as you are the sole heir of my name. You would do well to remember that."

Something about that last word implied that that would be the end of the discussion. King Mana continued up the stairs and led the way to their rooms.

"Now come this way. Lenalee's birthday is in only a few hours."

Night fell all too soon, and Lenalee's birthday ball went right under way. For the event, the ballroom had been decorated lavishly. The snack table was piled high with exquisite treats down the walls. Every chandelier was lit brightly, chasing the shadows into the corners. To top off the streamers and banners adorning the room, a special stand had been set up to display Lenalee's boots. She would put them on later in the evening to demonstrate their power, but until then, they sat proudly in their place for observers to ogle.

Despite the grand occasion, Allen was anything but excited. The prospect of seeing Lenalee after what had happened earlier was not enticing, and his hands were already growing sweaty in their gloves at the thought. He had done his best to delay his arrival that day, but his father had been very strict on the matter, making sure they arrived along with many of the other guests. As he followed his father down the entrance stairs, he spotted Lenalee waiting at the bottom with her brother and parents greeting the guests.

Allen swallowed nervously when they reached the bottom, finding his mouth suddenly running dry. He bowed politely to the king and queen, moving right along down to Komui, and then his sister.

Lenalee was excited, caught up in the grandeur of the celebration. "Hello, Allen."

Nervousness crept its way around him as he bowed. "Happy birthday, princess."

Lenalee's cheeks reddened through her blush as she curtseyed in return. As they straightened up, her face fell as she realized Allen was avoiding eye contact. "Thank you."

Allen smiled quickly before rushing off, unaware that Lenalee was frowning after him. He made his way to the punch table, intent on restoring his newly parched throat. As he fumbled with the ware, he was given a shock.

"Yo," Lavi said, grabbing Allen's shoulder. Allen jumped, nearly spilling the punch. Lavi laughed as Allen turned to see him before glaring.

"Lavi, don't do that," Allen warned, taking a sip from his cup to calm his nerves.

Lavi poked him in the side. "You're all uptight. Someone steal your golem?"

Placing the cup back on the table, Allen shook his head. "He's back home. Couldn't find him before we left."

"Aww, that's too-Brace up, here comes the fun," Lavi whispered suddenly, slapping Allen on the back. Allen blinked in confusion before he spotted Chiharu and Aimi walking down the table, scouting out the snacks. "Lady Chiharu, Lady Aimi, I believe the band will be playing soon."

"Indeed, Your Grace," Chiharu said plainly after glancing up. "They usually do once the introductions are finished."

"I haven't heard the Royal Orchestra play in years!" Aimi squealed, her eyes lighting up. "I've been waiting to dance all day."

Lavi smirked, and just as Allen and Chiharu realized the mistake she had made, he dipped down low, offering his arm to the barely older woman. "My dear lady, would you be as kind as to join me for the first song?"

Allen gagged at the horribly phrased request as Chiharu rolled her eyes, slipping her arm around her little sister's and leading her away as she spoke a warning. "I'm terribly sorry, Your Grace. I'm afraid that by the time the first note is played, your legs would be too broken to dance."

The two men watched Aimi be steered away by an irked Chiharu, who was muttering curses about scheming dukes and idiot little sisters. Aimi pretended to pay attention before sneaking a glance at Lavi and winking. Lavi's smirk widened as he straightened up to lean against the table.

"That worked out well enough. Honestly, Yu could take a leaf out of Aimi's book." Lavi grabbed an apple off the table and took a big bite out of it. He did not see Allen slap his forehead.

"I don't think you're supposed to eat-"

"I wonder if Yu's gonna dance. Guy's so stiff all the time. He needs to loosen up."

"Lavi, you shouldn't sit on the-"

"You should dance, too," Lavi stated thoughtfully, propping his knees up and taking another bite of the apple. "Mm, you talk to Lenalee yet?"

"Lavi, were you raised by a pack of wolves?" Allen grimaced. "Close your mouth when you-"

"Answer my question!" Lavi interrupted, looking pointedly at the prince.

Allen rolled his eyes and sighed. "I said hi earlier." At Lavi's raised eyebrow, Allen crossed his arms. "She's busy over there talking to other people! It's not like she has all the time in the world to-"

"She should, if you're her fian-"

"Will you stop interrupting me?" Allen snapped, turning beet red. That was the last thing he wanted to talk about with Lavi. Lavi backed off, prompting Allen to continue with his free hand. "Well the point has already been lost on you now!"

"That tends to happen a lot," said a light voice. Both of them looked up to see Lenalee had joined them. As the introductions were finished, the band started to wrap up their preparations, tuning what needed fixing.

"Lenalee!" Lavi exclaimed, getting off the table and hiding the apple behind his back. "About time! I was afraid this was gonna turn into a lecture."

"L-Lenalee," Allen stuttered, looking embarrassedly at the ceiling. When did she sneak up?

Lenalee smiled as the first chords of a fast-paced song were being run through. "Oh, this is a fun song! Would you dance with me, Allen?"

"Eh?" Allen visibly paled. "Me?"

"Yeah, you!" Lavi said, kicking the younger boy's knee in. "Don't disappoint, Allen!"

"But…I don't know this song!" Allen tried, elbowing Lavi back in the ribs. "And I'm not very good at it anyways…"

"Don't worry," Lenalee beamed, "you'll catch on pretty quickly."

"Ah, er…" Lavi was enjoying Allen's failing attempts immensely, which was only agitating the nervous boy. "I…later, maybe. I don't think I'm up for it right now…"

"Oh," Lenalee looked a little disappointed. She glanced longingly at the dance floor. "Alright."

"Well then, I guess I'll take this one," Lavi declared, stepping to Lenalee's side. "May I have this dance?"

Lenalee's lips stretched a little into a smile to mask her rejection. "Oh, yes." She and Lavi ran into the crowd to catch up as the dancing began. Allen sighed as he lost sight of them and left the table himself, searching for a suitable corner to sulk in. He saw Yu leaning sullenly against a wall, casting an aura of undiluted indifference at every lady who passed him.

Perfect.

Having one measure left to set into place, Lenalee laughed as she and Lavi rushed into position. Lavi rested a hand firmly against her stomach and grabbed above her hip just in time to step and spring with the crowd. Fumbling, Lenalee jumped to catch up, setting her hand on Lavi's shoulder behind her. They took a long stride together before Lenalee jumped into the air, supported by the man below her. She landed to sit on Lavi's thigh before he led her to resume a standing position so she could turn and try again.

"I didn't know you had lavoltas in your country," Lavi remarked as her back sat against him again. "You're really good at it."

Lenalee blushed as she jumped into the air, coming down gracefully with Lavi's help. "They played a lot of them at Queen Maria's coronation. I asked for them to play some tonight because…well, they're fun! Ah!" Lenalee squeaked as she was set on her feet.

"You went to the coronation?" Lavi blinked in surprise. He didn't remember seeing her there, but then, it had been quite a big party and he had only been fourteen years old.

"I begged Komui to bring me with him," Lenalee explained. "I love dancing. How could you not have fun when there are so many people around to share in it?"

Lavi laughed. "If only everyone had your sentiments, but then the dance floor would be pretty crowded."

Glancing around, Lenalee could see many mingling off to the side despite the playing music. She spotted Allen moping in the shadows cast by Yu and sighed. Lavi pulled her into the air again and she felt her hair flying up as she came down, cooling her off as she continued the dance. Her body lost the spunk it had been moving with before, something Lavi noticed as her eyes met his.

"Lavi, has Allen said anything about me?" she asked uncertainly, revealing the true contents of her thoughts. "I'm afraid he…"

Lavi leaned forward when Lenalee cast her eyes down. Another galliard was coming up, so they both turned to face each other. Making a point of catching her eyes, Lavi smiled smartly at the worried princess.

"I hope you're not about to finish that sentence with something unpleasant," he remarked, taking five or so steps toward her in the following measure. "Certainly not with something stupid like 'he doesn't like me,' because that would be too silly for a young woman to think about on her sixteenth birthday."

Lenalee frowned, taking several uninspired steps in turn. "It's as if he's avoiding me, though."

Lavi's lips pursed at the statement. There was no way he could contradict that honestly. "He's…a little scared, I think. This afternoon threw him for quite a loop."

The quick galliard was finishing, leaving the duo paces apart for the next few seconds. Lenalee used this time to contemplate what that meant. She hadn't seen the betrothal coming either, and it was a little upsetting to think about, but that was why she didn't dwell on it. It wasn't as if she didn't like Allen anyways, but maybe that was the problem for him.

"I wish they never told us," Lenalee muttered as she and Lavi joined hands again and she spun around. "I don't know what to do."

"_You_ don't need to do anything," Lavi insisted, finishing another round of the routine. "It's that jerk's job to come to you."

Lenalee threw another glance at the onlookers but couldn't find Allen again. Waiting required patience, and she was afraid being patient was going to hurt. After another galliard, the song came to a finish. There was much applause in which the orchestra prepared for the instructions of their conductor. A loud voice called through the night, "A branle!" exciting many new dancers to join those on the floor. Lavi grabbed Lenalee's hand before pulling her into a wide circle being formed by several of the dancing couples.

Allen and Yu were twins in position, both with arms crossed and eyes narrowed as they leaned back against the wall. The youngest Kanda had purposefully ignored the other that had come to invade his space, paying attention instead to Masaki's attempts at garnering a dance partner a ways away. His brother had to ask five different ladies before he was able to step on the dance floor. It wasn't until Yu heard Allen's snort that he looked up at his brooding companion, only to wonder if he really was seeing rage seethe from the younger boy's body. Throwing these thoughts away, Yu went back to paying attention to nothing.

"Does he have to hold her like that?" Allen whined, lowering his head in embarrassment. Yu glanced at him again, raising an eyebrow before scanning the dance floor. The objects of Allen's distress were finishing up the lavolta, Lavi holding Lenalee firmly as she swept through the air like the other dancing women.

_It's a partner dance,_ Yu realized, making a mental note of the pace of the music. He didn't say anything out loud.

"It's like he's mocking me," mumbled the grieved Allen, smothering his face in his hand. "How could I even dream to dance like that…?"

The younger prince sunk against the wall to sit on the floor, taking a long moment to compose himself before looking up at the annoyed Yu. From this angle, Allen noticed something peculiar.

"They let you bring that in?" Allen asked in disbelief, nodding at the sheathed sword decorating the other's side.

Yu did not move a muscle save for responding with a curt, "Yes."

Allen took a wide-eyed gander around the room before turning back to Yu as if he had made a very slow double-take. "What could you possibly need that for?"

Upper lip twitching momentarily, Yu tilted his head down to look at Allen. "Protection."

Allen raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that what the guards are for?" he pointed out, recalling the many armed men stationed outside at his arrival. He did not receive a real response as Yu's head resumed its old position. Allen rolled his eyes before setting his chin on his knees and gazing out at the dance floor again. A new dance was being played—a branle the conductor had called it. It was apparently a group dance since many circles were being formed.

Despite the strange looks he was getting as the night wore on, Allen concluded that sitting on the floor was a good idea since no one could see him through the crowd. Lenalee had yet to approach Yu, caught up in the fun as she was asked to dance again and again, which left Allen undiscovered. More and more people joined the dancing as crowd favorites were played, Yu counting the different kinds of dances. Many fast-paced songs seemed to be on the list, probably because Lenalee enjoyed those best. Yu easily grew tired of Allen's moping as each of Lenalee's dance partners proved decent enough to know one dance. The elder couldn't help but wonder how Allen could have never picked up on any of the dances. Had he never been to a ball?

"What am I supposed to do?" Allen muttered, clearly thinking it hadn't been audible. Exasperation was seeping into his companion, who found it painfully obvious what the younger was talking about. He really _was_ dense.

"Dance with her," Yu stated shortly. Allen looked up at him in surprise, his eyes widening comically at the second person that night with the same advice. Yu looked down expectantly, waiting for Allen to argue otherwise.

"You too?" Allen whispered in disbelief. "What's with you people?"

Yu shook his head in frustration but kept his voice low and calm. "I have three sisters," he said, as if that was explanation enough.

Allen looked back out at Lenalee, observing the smile on her face as she fought fatigue to keep dancing yet another galliard. Despite her flushed face, she definitely was enjoying herself. He placed a hand on his cheek and let his head sag in dismay. "I already turned her down, though…"

It took Allen a few seconds after catching himself to figure out he had been roughly jostled from his position by some unknown force. Looking back at Yu, he noticed the newly propped up leg beside him and realized the culprit's game.

"Did you just kick me?" Allen asked incredulously, standing back on his feet.

"Idiot," Yu chastised, ignoring the accusation. "What are you doing not dancing with her on her birthday?"

Allen scoffed, rubbing gingerly where he had been kicked. "Why does it have to be dancing?"

"She likes dancing," Yu said matter-of-factly. "You don't turn down a girl when she asks to dance unless you want her to hate you."

Allen looked skeptical. "You do it all the time."

Yu looked pointedly at the other. "Because I want them to hate me. _And I wish it would work on my sisters._" Allen barely caught that last sentence since Yu had said it in such a low and deadly tone.

It seemed the current dance was coming to an end. Some people were already rushing off to the punch bowls to replenish themselves. Allen watched some stragglers finish their steps impressively and sighed. "What if you can't dance?"

Observing the orchestra, Yu counted the patterns that some of the musicians were practicing, his frown twitching when he recognized them. "Then you pick an easy song."

Allen didn't notice the gleam in his companion's eye when he looked at him questioningly. Yu looked almost smug as he gestured his head to the dance floor.

"They'll play a pavane."

Looking back and forth between Yu and the orchestra, Allen squinted to see what the gloomy prince was talking about. "What, right now?"

Yu was silent, falling back into his brooding sentiment and emanating an antisocial aura. Allen could only make several uncertain glances around between Yu, the orchestra, and where he had last seen Lenalee. A pavane would be perfect. A slow processional dance was simple enough for him to pick up, and it would be a great chance to talk to Lenalee…

The orchestra was beginning to set up, and Allen was left to act on what was probably his best bet. He dashed onto the floor, squeezing his way between couples to vanish into the crowd. Yu, finally free of the menace, showed no signs of moving anytime soon. It was this fact that eventually drew Lavi over to check on him, sporting two cups of punch.

"Was that Allen?" he asked, taking care not to spill the drinks as his back hit the wall. He wasn't expecting a response, but he did seem to aggravate Yu with his presence, so it was a win in his book. Yu pointedly ignored the drink Lavi was offering him, leading the other to shrug and hold it casually as he downed one of the drinks and tossed it off to the side.

The orchestra was beginning to pick up, playing some slow introductory notes to the next dance. Many new couples were preparing for the beginning, and Lavi saw Lenalee giggling at Daisya Barry, one of Lavi's many cousins, who had been Lenalee's partner for the last two songs. They were on the far end of the floor, so Lavi really was only catching brief glimpses of them over the heads of the crowd.

The red-head took a gulp from the other cup, rocking his head when he recognized the song. "Hnn, this is a fun basse danse," he remarked idly, gingerly sipping at his punch. "Hey Yu, you gonna dance tonight? 'Cause y-"

Lavi almost dropped his cup, shock filling his eyes. He had _never_ seen Yu smirk so widely before.

Allen nearly tripped over several people in his hurried attempts to find Lenalee. Many women backed into him as they separated from their partners to set up for the dance. His muttered apologies went unnoticed, and the last of them died on his lips when he finally found who he was looking for. He didn't recognize the man she was with—he looked to be about their age if not a few years older. He and Lenalee behaved as though they were about to take a break, meaning Allen would thankfully not come across as rude if he were to ask her to join him.

Leaping forward, Allen tapped Lenalee's shoulder with a little more force than he intended. Lenalee turned around, drawing the attention of the young man who held her arm when she was no longer following him. She was met with an interesting sight; Allen looked to be on the borderline of desperation and nearly out of breath as he gave his offer:

"May I have this dance?"

As polite as the words might have seemed, Allen almost sounded anxious when he spoke them, which destroyed any chance of him seeming indifferent to the dancing. His presentation would have made Lenalee laugh any other day, but she had been waiting a while for this and instead beamed at him. After turning to Daisya for permission—he relinquished her arm before waving and leaving for some refreshments—she happily accepted Allen's invitation and allowed herself to be led back into the crowd.

There wasn't much room left—they had to squeeze into a little spot in a line, peeving the couples immediately around them who suddenly lost all of that space. It wasn't until the dancing began that Allen noticed something was…off.

After bowing to his partner, Allen realized that each pair was facing each other for the dance and took gliding steps towards each other. A normal pavane would call for them to process in a line with those around them, which was definitely not what he found himself to be doing. He gulped at the slow pace of the music; music was only ever this slow if it was going to speed up later. Lenalee smiled brightly at him, almost as if she was trying to get him to respond. Allen grinned nervously back, sweating at what was yet to come. The floating steps were easy—he knew what to do in a basse danse; it was the oncoming tourdion that was scaring him out of his mind.

"Lenalee," he whispered, silently cursing Yu's misleading ways in the back of his mind. "I can't do this."

Coming to a stop just before him as some final cadences were played, Lenalee tilted her head to the side, still smiling. "Don't worry, you're doing fine."

"No, I mean," Allen's own smile turned into an apologetic one, "I don't know the tourdion."

Lenalee was silent, blinking in the wake of her partner's statement. After a moment of comprehension, she closed her eyes and laughed heartily. Allen blanched. Was she making fun of him?

To Allen's great surprise, Lenalee's feet jumped and flailed around with the start of the new, fast-paced beat. Her spastic steps contrasted horribly with the women to her sides, whose crisp moves were perfectly in time with the music. By the time their kicks had stopped and Lenalee had ceased her random jig, Allen had barely registered what had happened.

"I don't either," she said, winking at him.

Lenalee didn't know the dance? Lenalee had let him drag her out to embarrass herself? Allen should have been flushing since he was standing completely still when it was his turn to dance, but he was so blown away by Lenalee's courage that the entire world around them seemed to dissolve. It was just him and this silly birthday-girl—his bride-to-be—and she was just giggling like she didn't have a care in the world. She was just living in the moment, and she was having fun while she was at it.

Allen didn't feel so bad about talking to her anymore.

"I knew the steps once," Lenalee explained, looking down at her feet and tapping her toes. "I was taught them, but I forgot, and we went a lot slower than this."

"You had lessons?" Allen asked, wondering why he hadn't thought of that.

Lenalee looked up at him and chortled. "Kind of. My mother showed me a long time ago. She knows a lot about things like that."

"I see." Allen was kind of jealous. It wasn't that he had a great passion for dancing, but he didn't really have anyone to teach him anything like that. He had never seen his father on a dance floor in his life.

Lenalee laughed when he just bounced on his knees a few times when he was supposed to be doing his part of the dance. He clearly didn't know anything about his role on the floor. Allen chuckled a little too.

"What dances _can_ you do, Allen?" she joked, making up her own little kicking moves despite the glances people around her were throwing at her. No one would say anything—it was her party, after all.

Allen sighed, his cheeks reddening a little. "Not many, really. I can handle some basic things like waltzing I guess…"

"Waltzing?" Lenalee queried, her fast steps dying down as she focused more on paying attention to him.

Allen blinked. "Waltzing…you know? One-two-three, one-two-three, one-two…" His words trailed off as he took in Lenalee's genuinely confused face and she shook her head. "You don't know the waltz?"

"Never heard of it," Lenalee admitted. They were both barely bobbing in the middle of the crowd now, pretending to dance.

Was it just a dance of the West? Allen realized he had never really been to a ball out of his country before, and he had not seen any dances that night that centered around a closed-hand position.

"Huh, really… I think you'd like it," Allen said, recalling the lavolta she had danced with Lavi earlier. "You hold hands and spin around a lot."

"Really?" Lenalee piped, making up for her lack of movement with a few quick kicks and taps. "Sounds fun! Maybe you can teach me some time,"—that was not what he had in mind—"when I come visit next summer."

Oh, that was right. Summer. The whole reason they had met in the first place. Everything he had temporarily forgotten about the engagement suddenly came flooding back into his mind. He probably _would_ have to start doing things like that with her, wouldn't he? He really didn't like being thrown into this situation head-first, though he supposed it could have been worse. At least he _knew_ Lenalee, and she wasn't that bad.

"Okay," he agreed, "next time we see each other."

Lenalee seemed pleased. "Who knows? We might end up having to do it at our…our…oh."

Their wedding. So she had been thinking about it too. _Great,_ Allen thought, _now we _have_ to talk about it._ Lenalee already seemed pretty embarrassed about the slip. The uncomfortable silence that reigned over them now was undoubtedly upsetting her, but it took Allen a long time to figure out what to say. She had only been trying to make a joke. "I…um…" No, Allen couldn't say that. That would sound too cheesy. But he couldn't say what was really on his mind either. How could he tell this girl that he wasn't ready for such a commitment when it wasn't her fault to begin with?

"It doesn't really bother me."

Allen looked up as the tourdion ended. They had a few counts to get back to their places before the basse danse kicked up again, but the two of them stayed close together for as long as possible.

"I always knew something like this would end up happening," Lenalee explained, her voice growing softer. "I just never considered it would be one of you guys, but since it is, I'm kind of relieved." Her eyes locked with his, and he saw immense warmth there before she closed her eyes and beamed at him. "Because we don't have to treat it so seriously. We can always keep being friends. We like each other, don't we?"

Her face was getting smaller; she was backing up into place. Allen's jaw had fallen slack at her words. He had never considered that view. He and Lenalee were definitely friends, and he liked being around her. She was cute and fun, and, if he thought about it, he didn't really know any other girls. Marriage had always been out of his mind, not because of his age, but because he had never really been familiar with women. He had no mother like Lenalee and no sisters like Yu. Lavi was the one always flirting if they ever ran into any girls—Allen never really had a chance to meet them himself. And after all, if he had never met Lenalee, Lavi, and Yu, he probably would have never developed any social skills.

He grabbed her wrist before she could back away any farther. Everything Lenalee said had been right.

"It's not that I don't like you…" Allen said slowly, hoping he didn't start his thoughts wrong. "Not that I do…but not that I don't!" he added quickly. "I didn't mean it like that!" Lenalee nodded serenely, letting him know it was alright. "I just…" He could always treat the situation like they were close friends, but he knew others wouldn't see it that way. All of this business about family and securing heirs and the kingdom's well-being haunted him. He wasn't ready for that much responsibility. Lying to Lenalee, hiding from her, wasn't something he really wanted to do either. When the time finally came for them to be together, what would he feel? "I don't know if I'm-"

A loud bang echoed through the hall and all of the dancing turned into stumbles. When the wave of chilling air swept over them and the music had stopped, Allen understood that he had been interrupted. Countless sets of startled eyes darted around until everyone's gazes settled on the front doors. The giant doors swayed, having been blasted open into the walls. Nothing stood in the way of the cold night except for one large man, silhouetted in the moonlight.

People started to whisper when the newcomer began his stride into the party. As he made his way down the steps, his grotesque features came into the light. Many recoiled at his revolting face stretched long by an unearthly large jaw. The cheery smile he sported did nothing to hinder the aura of mystery and peculiarity he cast. He dressed nicely for the occasion; the coat he wore looked inflated on his body, and the grand top hat covering his pointy ears might have been over decorated with roses. His golden eyes hid behind thick spectacles as he surveyed the dancers when he reached the bottom of the stairs. Unperturbed when people backed away at his approach, he walked silently through the crowd until he came upon a young couple.

The man's domineering figure completely overshadowed Allen and Lenalee who had broken from their dance to face the strange arrival just as the rest of the party had. From his spot in the back, Lavi noticed the crowd having difficulty parting for King Jin and King Mana. They had clumped up too much and were slowing down the older men from making their way to the dance floor. A new sound alerted the young duke that Yu had removed himself from his post. Lavi saw his eyes narrow before the prince stalked without a word to the center of the room as well.

"Good evening," the large stranger greeted pleasantly, tipping his hat and offering a courteous bow to the royal couple before him. Allen and Lenalee exchanged confused glances, given no time to respond as the man continued. "A pleasure to meet you, lady…?"

Bringing a clenched fist to her chest, Lenalee hesitated before politely offering her name. "Lenalee."

The man's eyes might have widened behind their lenses. He gently grabbed her hand and stooped down to kiss it. "I thought so, Princess Lenalee. A happy birthday to you."

"Thank you…" Lenalee mumbled, happy to lower her hand when it was released. "And you-?"

"And those would happen to be yours, wouldn't they?" he observed, his eyes fixated on a spot behind her. Lenalee turned to see her Dark Boots sitting on their stand undisturbed.

Allen, having understood the man's topic of discussion, took a step forward. "Excuse me, sir. I'm afraid you can't just barge in like this."

The intruder's eyes quickly came to rest on Allen almost as if the man hadn't noticed him before that moment. "I'm sorry, you are…?"

Allen glared, ignoring the question. "There should have been _guards_ outside to help you, if that's what you-"

"Too much nonsense from you, boy, just as from them. I certainly know what my business is," the man scolded, still not dropping his smile. "As if some weakling humans could get in my way."

Eyes widening, Allen grabbed Lenalee's hand and took another step in front of her. Those on the edges of the circle surrounding them began to whisper nervously, backing away at the implications of the newcomer's remarks.

"Who are you?" Allen demanded, doing his best to keep his voice from shaking. Out of the corner of his eye he could see his father pushing past the spectators, calling his son's name. Suddenly, the smile plastered on the mystery man's face seemed anything but pleasant.

The exchange was cut short by a new arrival. The dark man stopped when the curve of a blade came to hover dangerously close to his face. Yu held his sword steady and spoke with the hint of a threat in his voice.

"You choose now to show your hideous face then?"

The strange man was still very relaxed, nonchalantly adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves. "Which Kanda might you be?"

"I didn't figure you brave enough to travel without your little friends," the swordsman spat, bending his knees into a ready position.

The man showed no hints of fear. Yu moved to strike, much to Allen and Lenalee's shock, but the pivotal words the stranger uttered next were terribly foreboding.

"I am never without friends."

A deafening explosion shook the hall, tossing many off their feet including Allen and Lenalee. Yu took a step to rebalance, quickly raising his sword to block the heavy blow of a massive sword that had materialized in the stranger's hands. Screams were rising as more explosions sounded. Getting over his daze, Allen looked around wildly to see giant masses had suddenly appeared, blasting cannons protruding from their bodies. He wobbled to his feet, recognizing the pentacles gracing the deadly lumps. Realization hit him and he stared at the large man mercilessly hacking away at Yu.

"He...He's the…earl…"

"Allen!" Lenalee yelled, grabbing his arm to snap him from his reverie. "We've got to get out of here!"

She pulled him away roughly, steering him towards the front of the room where herds of people were clamoring desperately to escape. Many of the akuma were firing into the clumps and at the door as they were the easiest targets. In the chaos, Allen recognized the bad judgment of their chosen direction when a particularly large demonic weapon blocked their way.

"Duck!" he screamed, hurtling himself at Lenalee and throwing them both to the floor. The blast from the akuma's canons blew debris everywhere.

In the smoke and haze, the two rolled underneath a table to catch their breaths. Despite the rattling of plates above their heads, it proved to be a safer bet. Their enemies had no need to search for the hiding when there were plenty to attack in plain sight.

"Are you alright, Lenalee?" Allen asked breathlessly, helping to pull the girl's foot to hide beneath the tablecloth as well.

Lenalee was gasping in the poisonous smog riddling the area. They had to crawl beneath the long tables to a clearer spot before they could breathe properly again. The princess leaned down on her hands and knees to peer beneath the tablecloth.

A piercing ringing sound reverberated outside, startling Allen into worry. "What was that?"

"It's Daisya," Lenalee responded immediately, watching as the young man took out one of the monsters with a metal ball—his Innocence. Sir Marie was there as well, aiding him. Before she could spot anyone else, a loud bang overhead threw her out of her senses. Allen jumped on top of her as the table shook violently, many of its contents breaking on the floor.

"Let's head for the courtyard," Allen suggested, scooting them both away from the broken glass that had scattered near them.

Lenalee separated herself from him, registering his words and comparing them to her own forming plan. "No!" she said. "No, I have to help!"

Grabbing her shoulders, Allen held her in place as she struggled to pass him. "Lenalee, what-?"

"My boots!" Lenalee pled, trying to get around. "If I can get my Innocence I can fight them!"

"That's way too dangerous!" Allen shouted, trying to shake her back to her senses. "They'll kill you before you get there!"

"They need my help!" Lenalee argued. Daisya and Noise Marie were only two people against who knew how many, and there was no way to know what happened to Yu.

Allen could see how determined she was, and before he could argue his point, he found himself gagging. Poisonous gas from the previous explosion had reached them again, and Allen knew he wasn't going to be able to get Lenalee to crawl the opposite direction fast enough. He made a quick decision.

"This way," he said, crawling around the broken plates in the direction away from the escape. He knew he didn't have to look back to be sure Lenalee was following him beneath the long row of tables to the end of the hall. The corner was relatively untouched, a large punch table ending the line. Underneath it they could both fit more comfortably. Pulling up the tablecloth, Allen and Lenalee watched as newly born akuma rose to their feet, neither understanding how they were made. A ways away stood the display table holding Lenalee's weapons.

Lenalee didn't have time to think before Allen caught her eye. "Stay here," he commanded before jumping out in the open.

"Allen!" Lenalee called after him, but he had already run far down along the wall. All she could do was watch anxiously as he stumbled to a halt at the stand.

The air was a lot thicker around the boots, probably due to a nearby explosion. Allen covered his nose and mouth to reduce how much poison he inhaled as he scooped up the boots by their heels with one hand. He was beginning to feel the effects of what was already in his system, making him light-headed and a little dizzy. It took a second for his eyes to focus on the table Lenalee was still hiding under before he could make his way back. He didn't register the thin shadow on the wall beside him, and by the time Lenalee screamed, it was too late.

Something hot and sharp tore into his face, blinding him with blood and tears. He was thrown back against the wall, hitting his head powerfully. A newborn akuma lunged at him, intent on taking the shoes itself. Lenalee sprang from her hiding place, but before the skeletal machine could deal him another blow, something burst from the ground.

Trees and vines grew out of the floor, wrapping around pillars and brushing against the ceiling. Lenalee was stopped in her tracks by awe as some very welcome help enclosed the room in a protective garden. Marshal Tiedoll pounded his chisel again, directing some roots to wrap around Allen's assailant and crush it to dust.

Allen was clutching painfully at his torn eye, curled up on the ground as the blood seeped through his fingers. Tiedoll bent down hurriedly and helped Allen to sit up, pulling gently at his arm.

"Let me see, Your Highness," he soothed, prying the fingers away as Lenalee came to kneel beside him. She gasped at the sight of the long gash marring Allen's left side, bleeding profusely.

"Oh God," she whispered, reaching out a hand as if to touch it. Allen flinched away. "Oh God, that looks really bad…"

"Princess," Tiedoll said, helping Allen up until he was steadier on his feet, "You'll have to lead him. Take him up to the drawing room. Both of your families should be there."

"He needs a doctor!" Lenalee protested, grabbing Allen's upper arm when he lost his balance. "Shouldn't I-?"

"You must bring him to King Mana right away!" Tiedoll asserted, draping the wounded boy's arm around her neck. "Don't waste any time!"

"Marshal!" Lenalee screamed, but more roots were drilling their way through the wall, creating an opening leading into the corridor on the other side.

"Go!" Tiedoll commanded, turning back to the battle at hand.

Having no choice, Lenalee directed Allen as quickly as possible through the hole in the wall, which immediately was sealed by the Embracing Garden. Lenalee gathered her wits and readjusted Allen's arm around her before heading in the direction of the stairs. Allen moaned on occasion as he fought to keep his mind calm, watching his blood drip openly to the floor. He didn't move to cover it, his other hand occupied still with holding Lenalee's boots. The spotted trail of blood he left behind thickened as they climbed the stairs, their travel slowed down by having to concentrate on each step in turn.

Not quite in his right mind from the pain, Allen felt that as they reached the top of the stairs, something needed to be said. He couldn't think of what it was, and had to stop after a wavering, "Lenalee…"

"Save your strength," she responded firmly, nearly dragging his exhausted body down the hall. "We're almost there."

As they approached the end of the corridor, the sound of frantic talking and pacing about greeted their ears. The shock that filled the room as one by one the drawing room's occupants looked up to see the bloody mess in the doorway nearly stunned who were there into silence. Ran, Chiharu, and Aimi—the loudest of the talkers—sat fretting with Lenalee's mother on a couch. Her father stood in the back, discussing matters hurriedly with King Mana, but stopped abruptly at her arrival. Masaki and Komui were the first to jump to help and ran over immediately to lift the burden from Lenalee's shoulders.

"He's bleeding! He's hurt!" Aimi screamed, panicking wildly as her sisters pulled her off the couch. Marshal Yeegar led the queen away in time for Allen to be laid across the cushions, his head immediately propped up on a smaller pillow. King Mana was instantly down at his side, checking the wound.

"Lenalee," Komui said relieved. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? There's blood-"

"I'm fine, it's not my blood," Lenalee said, hugging her brother as the last of the adrenaline left her. Her legs almost collapsed beneath her.

"Lenalee," Mana's deep voice called, "Please, would you come here?"

Komui led his little sister cautiously past the Kanda sisters to the foot of the couch. Allen still hadn't let go of her boots, Lenalee noticed, and she took this opportunity to take them from him gratefully. Mana was gently pressing the edges of Allen's cleaned gash together, giving rise to more blood. Allen tried to pull his head away, but Mana didn't let go. His thumbs worked up and down the wound, and, strangely enough, the blood flow was noticeably slowing down.

"Lenalee." The princess turned to the king, watching him wipe Allen's blood from his face with his removed glove. "What did the earl say?"

It wasn't the first question she expected to be asked, and so her thoughts fumbled to accommodate for it. Without the adrenaline, her reactions grew slow, and all she could manage for the first few seconds was to let her mouth hang open.

"What…do you mean?" she eventually forced out. The earl certainly had talked, but it had all been a bunch of nonsense. But then, what had he been doing there in the first place? Staging an attack hardly required his presence, and he had been anything but stealthy. His motives seemed murkier by the second, and Lenalee found herself irked that she was the one being questioned when there was so much she suddenly needed to know.

"What did he talk about, Lenalee? What did he say to you?" Mana's voice was growing urgent, only adding to Lenalee's confusion.

"Um…" Lenalee's brow furrowed as she racked her brain, hoping to get an answer in return for giving one. "He…wished me a happy birthday."

Mana sat for a moment in thought before shaking his head. "What else, Lenalee? Think hard."

What else? The man had hardly said anything that wasn't just small talk! "Let me think… When he came to us he wanted to know my name, and then when Allen-_He asked about my boots!_" Lenalee clutched the said items tightly, a terrible revelation hitting her. "He didn't come for-! The earl destroys things like that, doesn't he?"

Mana's head jerked up and he turned fully to the young girl, grasping her shoulders. "He didn't know your names? Did you tell him?"

"What? I-yes, mine I think, but…"

"Just yours?"

"Y-yes…yes, I think so. What…?" Lenalee looked back and forth between the thoughtful Mana and her father who had listened to the exchange with a grave look on his face. "What's going on?"

"He's on the wrong track," Mana mumbled almost inaudibly, biting the tip of his thumb in concentration. "Lenalee, it's likely he meant to kill you."

Komui's hand tensed around hers at those words. "Your Majesty, what do-?"

"Then he doesn't know," their father interrupted sternly.

King Mana looked up and shook his head to affirm the statement. "Only so much. He's shooting blind."

Scowling, King Jin clenched his fists in rage. "But there are so many of them! Does he plan to kill them all?"

Silence reigned after the exclamation, Lenalee and Komui frozen in its wake. Mana looked around at every face staring at him in horror. The Kanda sisters were huddled behind their brother. Ran and Masaki's sullen eyes avoided the scared ones of their little sisters. Lenalee's mother came forward to grasp their father's hand and close her eyes as if in prayer. At the confusion on the Lee siblings' faces, Mana could no longer focus on his thoughts.

"Father," a soft voice whispered. Mana reflexively turned to his son lying very still before him. One of Allen's hands rested on his cheek, too tired to continue fingering his wound. His hoarse voice cracked as he fought to be heard clearly, and it might have belonged to a sleepy child. "Who all does he intend to kill?"

Mana stared intently at his son, remembering how many times he had seen a scene such as this one: times he had lulled a young boy with bedtime stories and carried him off as he fought against sleep. But this wasn't the same; his boy was not tired from a long day, and he had nothing pleasant to tell him. Jun, Yu, and their parents had not shown up yet, and so many others—Lavi, Daisya, Noise, Tiedoll, Socalo, Klaud—were in the same boat. This prospect weighed heavily on the king's heart, and he could not look into Allen's eyes and answer him. His fears were all too real now, and he found himself pushed to make a decision.

"I need a carriage readied," he told Jin whose scowl morphed into pursed lips before he nodded and went to a desk against the wall, his wife following him. Mana smiled thinly, grateful for the understanding.

Marshal Yeegar stepped forward humbly after a few seconds of contemplation. "Your Majesty, surely it would be safer here than to risk the journey. The prince is in no shape-"

"We won't be heading all the way back just yet," Mana assured the marshal, helping Allen to sit up slowly. "We're going to Karenin."

Taken aback, the marshal's eyes widened as he momentarily paused. "Karenin? Do you mean…does Your Majesty intend to meet with Marshal Cross?"

Mana did not look up or say anything as he led Allen to lean against the back of the couch. The lack of response was enough of an answer for the marshal.

"But…Your Majesty, Karenin is still a fair ride away! Prince Allen will have a rough time making the trip!"

"It's alright," the king said, his mind set. "He'll make it. I'll seal the wound myself."

"F-Father?" Allen cried, surprised by the words. How did the king intend to do such a thing so quickly?

Before anyone could do anything more, King Jin approached them again. A dark golem from the desk fluttered over his shoulder, making soft transmission noises.

"A carriage will be ready shortly," he informed them. "The captain will clear you a path through the city."

Mana nodded with gratitude. "Thank you," he said genuinely, giving a small smile before turning back to his son. His hands guided Allen's head to rest against the couch back before he let his fingers trace the gash lightly. "Brace yourself, Allen. I'm afraid this will hurt."

* * *

Allen wondered fleetingly how many hours had passed since then, tracing the raw flesh that rose from his face. The scar tissue still burned reminiscently of those painful seconds during which his father had done whatever he had done to stop the bleeding. He wasn't quite sure what had happened, but it had been bright and short when those fingers ran down his face just as Allen's were doing now. The carriage ride had become bumpy after leaving the city gates, the unpaved forest path they traveled proving not quite as suitable for their hurried pace. Marshal Yeegar sat across from him, his face grim and sober. The disapproving air surrounding him helped keep the trip quiet and uneventful. The silence, his exhaustion, and the lingering pain found Allen occasionally nodding off, his head resting on his father's shoulder.

In his moments of consciousness, Allen reflected on the long night. He had never been to Karenin, but the idea of meeting Marshal Cross again plagued his thoughts more than visiting somewhere new. The man's rare visits to their kingdom were sporadic, the time between them lengthening with each meeting. Allen found himself drifting between memories of Cross and dreaming about the last time he had seen the man.

He had probably been eleven years old. If he remembered correctly, it was several days after his birthday. He had been wandering outside, still sour about how he wouldn't get to go to the coronation of the South's new queen and see his friends, when a maid informed him of a summon from his father in the courtyard. To get there, he had to walk through the hedges of flowers in the garden, and at his height, they towered over him. This turned out to be perfect when he came close enough to the courtyard to overhear his father and the marshal conversing without being noticed.

"-perfect place to hide it!" said a gruff voice, followed shortly by the clinging of glass on a table.

"Will Hevlaska have a hard time-?"

"That hag has a hard enough time doing her job right as it is!" the voice interrupted brazenly. "It's high time someone made some actual _progress_ with this! Trust me; it's the best choice you can make!"

"Marshal, I assure you, I have no problem with it myself. So long as Hevlaska can receive the results, you certainly have my permission."

"Good, because I already did it."

"…Marshal Cross…"

Allen rounded the corner at that moment, finding Marshal Cross's feet propped up on a garden table next to an empty glass (guaranteed to have once been filled with wine) several yards away. His father was shaking his head in annoyance when the marshal brought his feet down and stood up.

"Well, well. If it isn't the birthday-boy!" the marshal greeted. Allen wasn't that stupid. While still astonished by the man's attitude, he had met him enough times to know when the marshal was mocking him—which was usually all the time. The entirety of Cross's intent was often lost on him though since Allen was still very young and socially inexperienced.

"Allen, you remember Marshal Cross," Mana said, rising from his seat as well. Allen nodded slowly, raising an eyebrow as he eyed the approaching man.

"What's with the face, runt?" the marshal laughed darkly. Allen couldn't be sure if he was being playful or not. "I brought you a present."

These words made Allen's suspicions rise dramatically. The last present he received from Cross ended with some powerful alcohol and a particularly long flight of stairs.

The marshal removed his enormous hat and dug around in it for a second. "It's here somewhere…stupid thi-ah! Here we go."

Cross tossed a tiny ball at the young boy, causing him to jump to catch it. The ball in his open hands Allen noticed was golden and uneven with strange little markings all over it.

"What is it?" he asked curiously, eying the little trinket all over. He didn't trust it not to do something weird.

Cross rolled his eyes. "Well you have to turn it on first."

Turn it…? Oh, was the strange white cross on the front for more than decoration? Allen ran his thumb down it, feeling the smooth metal surface of the thing. Was there a button somewhere? He held the ball between two fingers and turned it over, looking on the backside, when two strange protrusions suddenly shot out of the sides of it. Allen dropped the ball in shock, forcing the little object to use its newly formed wings to keep from falling to the ground.

"A golem?" Allen asked, watching wide-eyed as the golden ball flapped its way to his eye level. He had seen many before, usually cheap black ones that didn't seem to do much for anything other than communication. There were definitely custom models that popped up here and there—after all, his country specialized in the production of golems.

"Figured you'd need one eventually," Cross remarked, pulling a cigarette out from the folds of his coat. "Little guy's got all you'll ever need."

Allen followed the golem with his eyes as it fluttered around his head before finally landing to nest in his hair. "What I need?"

"Records video, connects to the radio, a few hidden extra features here and there—after all, he's custom," Cross explained, lighting his cigarette nonchalantly. "He's also programmed with a personality, but I couldn't tell you the first thing about it."

A pretty rambunctious one, if the mischievous nibbling on his ear was a good indicator. Cross took a long drag from his cigarette as Allen swatted the pestering machine away.

"His name is Timcanpy," Cross said, exhaling smoke. "He'll make you a pretty good companion."

Allen snapped awake when a loud crack rang through the night and the carriage began to shake violently. He did his best to brace himself as the shuddering vehicle skidded into the trees and came to a terse stop. The horses were whining loudly as Allen shook his head, coming back to his senses.

"What was that?" Marshal Yeegar shouted out the opened door at the carriage driver. The man seemed jostled from all of the swerving, having barely managed to keep on his seat.

"Someone was in the road," the driver explained, rubbing his head gingerly.

Mana perked up when he heard those muted words from his place inside. Allen was pulling himself to sit up straight when he heard strange sounds. A loud buzzing noise followed by something airy drowned out the night and shook the carriage. Marshal Yeegar did a double-take as Allen heard a loud bang and the driver's strangled cry, followed by a soft thud.

"What happened?" Allen asked, horribly confused. Something wasn't right...

"Stay here, Your Majesty," Yeegar commanded softly, visibly shaken by what had happened outside. "I'll take care of this." With that, he stepped out of the carriage and closed the door.

Mana moved immediately to the door to gaze out the window for a long time. Whatever he saw made his brow furrow and his face narrow darkly until his eyes widened and he recoiled. "No, that's not possible…!"

"What's going on?" Allen asked again, standing up to look outside for himself. His father stopped him, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him back into his seat. "Father-!"

"Listen to me, Allen," Mana said sternly. Allen blinked, the source of his father's seriousness lost on him. "You need to do exactly what I tell you, do you understand?" He waited for his son to nod, albeit bewilderedly. "Stay hidden and wait for your chance to get out of here unnoticed. Run as fast as you can, and get to Karenin. You know where it is?" Another mystified nod, this one a lot slower than the last. "Just follow the road. Keep running. No matter what happens, you are not to stop. _Do not stop. _Promise me that you'll do that."

A lot of bright light was coming from outside, and Allen could hear deep voices shouting. Mana grabbed the side of Allen's head and made him look away from the distraction into his father's manic eyes.

"Promise me!"

A pained yell blared from outside, but Allen couldn't register it through all of his confusion. "I…I promise."

Satisfied, Mana nodded and let go of him. "Wait for your chance," he repeated, standing up. Whatever ruckus had gone on outside had died down eerily quickly. Allen could only gape at his father as he opened the carriage door and exited. It took the young prince several moments to gather himself before he summoned enough strength to pull himself up and look outside the window.

There wasn't a lot to see that wasn't just trees leaning over and brush blowing in the wind. Allen didn't have much peripheral vision due to the window frame, but he could see his father walking slowly away from the carriage and toward someone too far in the shadows to make out. He didn't see anyone else, not even the marshal.

"Your Majesty," the mystery man greeted, "how nice to see you again."

"It was only a matter of time, wasn't it?" King Mana said bitterly. "Did he send you? Or was this all your idea?"

"Business as usual, I'm afraid." Allen could almost hear the smirk in the stranger's voice. "The earl doesn't trust traitors almost as much as he doesn't trust idiotic prophecies to not come true."

Traitors? Prophecies? What was all of this about? Allen's eyes narrowed as he tried to puzzle out the meaning behind those words. Who was that man? Was he in league with the earl?

King Mana's entire demeanor changed. He straightened up, his back almost overextending, and he radiated worry. "I see," he began, "So he _is_ trying to kill all of them then?"

In the shadows, Allen really could make out the smirk this time. "There really are _far_ too many candidates," the stranger crooned.

Mana took a few steps back, reaching within his clothes. The shadowed man waited patiently for him to retrieve a shining object Allen recognized immediately: Raw Innocence.

"You think I'll just stand aside and let you?" Mana seethed dangerously, holding the glowing orb in front of him.

Allen was shocked to hear, after a long, filled pause, the stranger laughing loudly in response. Mana didn't move a muscle as he waited for the man to compose himself and calm down from his little fit.

"I'm not an idiot you know," the man chuckled, shaking his head. "That can't possibly be _yours_. Really now, you make revenge too _easy._"

The hiding prince almost shouted in surprise at the flurry of events that followed those words. The action was so fast—everything looked like it was moving, his father included. The tall man leaped from the shadows in the mayhem and snatched the Innocence from the king. When the stranger kicked Mana to the ground and placed a foot on his chest, Allen opened the carriage door and jumped out, but found his feet frozen at the scene before him.

"Let me take a guess," the man said smoothly, digging his heel in between the king's ribs. "This would be your son's, wouldn't it?"

Mana reached up, struggling futilely to grab back the Innocence, but could only watch feebly as his assailant effortlessly crushed the crystal between his fingers into dust.

"Oh, too bad," the stranger sang, brushing his hands together to wipe the remains away. "Well, at this point all that's left to do is finish the job."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Allen recognized that this was his chance to make his great escape; this was the moment Mana had told him to wait for. But seeing the slender arm rise up, poised surely to strike, and his father falling limp in the grass, Allen felt all reason leave him.

"_NO!_" he screamed, springing into the moonlight and across the clearing. Allen grabbed the unknown man and flung him away from his father, causing him to stumble. The man blinked perplexedly as Allen dropped to his father's side, doing his best to shield the larger man. "Stay away!"

"Ah, I think I've made you angry," the stranger said happily, crouching down to his level and meeting the prince's glare with a smile.

"Don't touch him!" Allen growled, clenching his fists in preparation.

"The prince, huh?" the man said, sliding his fingers underneath Allen's chin. Allen pulled away harshly, drawing his fist up to punch the man, but the bottom of a shoe collided with his face and he was sent to the ground. He tried to roll over and get up, but the man planted a foot between his shoulder blades and pinned him in the dirt. He struggled and clawed helplessly to get away while the man did whatever he did to make quick work of the fallen king.

Allen couldn't manage to get free but lifted his head enough to see the blood oozing from his father. Weakly, he reached out to Mana, disbelief etched in his face. "Father…" he mumbled, "don't…"

The pressure being applied to his back intensified and he cried out in pain. Something hit him and he went flying, landing roughly on his back and knocking the wind out of him. He could hear the man approaching, and he knew it was the end. He saw the raised arm and closed his eyes in dread.

The blow never came. Allen cracked open one eye, still panting deeply, and saw that the assassin had stopped moving, his arm still suspended in the air. He blinked several times, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Your Highness…" a choked voice called faintly, "please…run…"

"Still alive, are you?" the stranger spat, fighting against the chains of Marshal Yeegar's Innocence that had coiled around his arm. More chains from the hook shot wrapped around his body, restraining him further.

When Allen painfully pulled himself up, he saw Marshal Yeegar lying several yards away looking worse for the wear, his golem flapping aimlessly overhead. He gripped his weapon desperately, clearly losing the battle with the stranger.

"Hurry...Your Highness…" he pled, using all of his might. "Get away…while you…can…"

Allen looked back and forth between the marshal, his father, and the stranger with wide eyes. "But you're-"

"Done for!" the marshal insisted. "_Go!_"

With one last glance at his father, Allen recalled his promise to escape and swallowed nervously. He nodded and scrambled to his feet, eliciting a scowl from his assailant. Applying pressure to his ankle hurt—he must have twisted it—but he ignored it and sprinted away as fast as he could.

He darted into the trees in the direction he thought the road was, but he had been disoriented when the carriage had crashed and wasn't very sure. He realized he must have taken a wrong turn at some point because he never encountered the correct path, but he didn't care. He had to get away; he had promised. He didn't want to think about what probably happened to Marshal Yeegar, or about what he had witnessed happen to his father. Hadn't enough happened to him that night?

As if in response, Allen's left eye began to throb again, despite the adrenaline rushing in his system. He clutched at it for a moment but otherwise paid it no heed and continued on. There was no time to fret about it now.

The trees were getting thinner, and Allen got excited. Was he approaching the forest road at last? The thought of that man chasing him and jumping into the open when he got there spurred him on faster in fear. Perhaps if he hurried, he could find help. He didn't know where on earth he was—he was the master of getting lost. But there was always a chance he could run into-

A cliff. _A cliff!_ Allen grabbed a tree to stop himself in time before he ran over the edge. It was just his luck to run into a drop-off! The last thing he needed was to be cornered in an uninhabited wood!

But was it uninhabited? Allen blinked and rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining things. Out in the distance he saw a city. _Karenin?_ Allen wondered. Had his luck changed for the better?

Probably not. Allen hobbled to the edge of the cliff and looked straight down, gulping at how high up he was. He stumbled back from the scene of rocks and steep sides and groaned. He couldn't climb down that, especially with a twisted ankle!

"End of the line," someone whispered behind him. Allen jumped, his heart pounding relentlessly in his chest from fright, and turned around to see his worst nightmare. Disgruntled but still composed, his father's murderer had caught up to him and now stood uncomfortably close.

Allen recoiled backwards only to have his heel misstep and slip over the edge of the cliff. Yelling, he grabbed the sleeve of the stranger and twisted his fingers in the material, holding on for dear life. The triumphant smile on his enemy's face was the only precursor to his wrenching away from Allen's grip, and the prince's mouth opened in horror.

"Bye-bye," was the last thing he heard before he screamed from the dropping of his stomach and plummeted down. The first ridge he hit crushed his arm and his scream changed into one of excruciating pain. His voice was cut off when he tumbled over the side and fell an even longer way before hitting his head against the ground and blacking out.

The man watched the prince's body roll until it fell out of sight, and his grin widened. After a long moment, he observed the horizon, and stroked his chin contemplatively.

"Karenin?" he wondered, forming an idea. "Karenin is just on the border, isn't it? Hmm…"

A long arm stretched out over the cliff, slowly weaving its way through the air. Nothing happened for a long time, save for the man's continuous smirking.

"The barrier's gone," he mumbled before chuckling lowly. "They're all dead."

His job was done. The earl would be very pleased.

* * *

"How are there still so many?" Lavi cried, bringing his hammer down decisively on another akuma. When the ballroom had been cleared by Marshal Tiedoll, Lavi immediately ran to the guests' quarters in search of his anti-akuma weapon. The city was experiencing a loaded attack by the Earl, and Lavi was immediately on the scene to help.

"Don't waste your breath!" Yu chastised, striking down several more enemies effortlessly. The barrage of bullets flooding the stable—their makeshift fort—halted with no akuma around whose body did not litter the ground in broken pieces. The captain ran to the exit, peering outside carefully to check the coast. Yu and Lavi sat down for a moment's rest. The night had been exceptionally hard on both of them; Lavi had been forced to fight for his neck to survive without a weapon when the assault had crashed Lenalee's birthday party, and Yu, his rash actions not without a price, had barely made it out alive from his scrape with the Earl. He fought to put the images out of his mind of his parents and Jun coming to his aid to end in their pointless deaths.

A static sound broke through the silence as the captain retreated inside. Lavi barely registered the golem on the captain's shoulder coming to life. It took flight upon receiving the incoming message, its visual sensor lighting up brightly.

"What's this?" the captain grunted, adjusting the receiver on his golem to hear the message more clearly. It was very faint, probably encountering interference with all of the akuma around. "A distress signal?"

"Captain, more akuma are coming from the western end of the city!" a sentry shouted from the doorway.

"Shit!" The captain ignored the statement, having just listened to the emergency message. "The king is under attack!"

Many heads shot up, Lavi's and Yu's among them. "King Jin?" someone asked, panicky and wide-eyed.

"King Mana," the captain corrected, "His party has been ambushed in the woods!"

Yu and Lavi exchanged looks. Neither had been aware that the king had left the city, but if he wasn't traveling alone, then that could only mean…

"Captain!" Lavi called, jumping to his feet and running over. "Where's the fastest horse you've got?"

The captain looked at Lavi and then outside at the new wave of enemies and nodded to the duke. "This way," he said, running down the aisle of stalls.

"Can you handle them?" Lavi asked Yu quickly. The prince rolled his eyes and nodded, standing up as well. As Lavi followed after the captain, Yu calmly walked outside and scanned the area. There were a good twenty akuma approaching them, rising above the roofs or maneuvering between the buildings. Yu looked back to see Lavi hurriedly setting up on the horse, equipping the animal with the bare necessities before steering him out. When the horse's hoofs clumped noisily to a stop behind him, Yu unsheathed his sword and activated it.

"You've got one shot," he warned the young duke. "Don't waste it."

Lavi nodded, pulling back on the reigns to prepare the horse to dart. With the akuma nearly upon them, Yu positioned his sword up as if to cut the air.

"_First Illusion: Hell's Insects!"_

Tens of screaming bodies of ectoplasm burst out from his blade, their red eyes gleaming dangerously in the moonlight. The bugs swam through the air, leaping onto the akuma and clawing through their hard bodies. Screams and explosions of mechanical beings filled the air as Lavi kicked his horse into a full gallop. Debris and smoke were paid no mind as the horse shot through the mess, one akuma after the other crashing broken into the ground. The smokescreen and confusion hid Lavi well from the remaining enemies, who did not know what had hit them when they collided with the face of a large hammer.

"Bull's eye!" Lavi yelled triumphantly, kicking his horse into an even faster pace. With the moon covered by the clouds, Lavi was able to ride through the darkness and haze with little trouble, making it to the edge of the city. A massive hole in the wall, no doubt made by an akuma's cannon, provided the perfect opening for Lavi to steer his horse through to make it out into the forest. Without the weight of a carriage on his horse, Lavi would make double the time Allen's party had.

The captain's golem had not been the only one to receive the distress call. Lenalee fingered the slippers in her lap, having overheard it as well from her father's golem. She did not understand what the rush had been. Wasn't it safer here than to risk the journey? Peeling off her shoes, Lenalee looked around the room to make sure no one was watching. Her feelings had been right before, and she didn't like the unsettled feeling in her stomach.

"Lenalee, what are you doing?" Komui cried as she climbed onto the windowsill. There were several screams as she jumped outside. "_Lenalee!!_"

Her special slippers she now wore morphed and wrapped around her legs, supporting her in the air as she fell. Lenalee had never actually used them, but all the times Hevlaska had tried new ideas with her had given the princess enough experience with her Innocence to be able to control them decently. Her elegant dress whipped violently in the wind as her toes pressed on the air, helping her to move through the night sky. Below her, a tiny speck on a horse gawked at the trail of light she left behind in her flight west.

The trees were passing beneath her too quickly. Her eyes had a hard time keeping track of the road, but she didn't care. So long as she kept in the same direction, she would run into them eventually. Gulping, Lenalee wondered if she was ready to handle a group of akuma. That was probably what they had run into, but something didn't seem right about it. Kevin Yeegar was a marshal; he should have been able to take care of a little akuma problem. Were there too many for even him to handle?

Despite her uncertainty, Lenalee pressed on, willing herself to go faster. King Mana's party had left a while ago, meaning they had probably gotten very far along. Even so, at the speed she was going—faster than any horse she had ever ridden; it was surprising seeing how naturally this amazing speed and the flight came to her—she certainly was making great time.

Something swiped in and out of her vision quickly, and she came to an unsteady stop. She had seen something on the road between the trees. Landing immediately, Lenalee retraced her path on foot, discovering the irregularity in a good two minutes.

A horse was wandering down the road, the broken off hitch of a carriage still attached to its side. Lenalee ran after it, but it darted away as she approached in fright. Before she could chase it, she noticed a pile of large, broken tree limbs scattered on the ground and looked around. On the side of the road, a group of trees appeared to have been crashed into as they split apart, leaving a large pathway into the wood. Lenalee ran through it, stepping on twigs and leaves that had been flattened by what had passed through there. Making her way through the thicket, Lenalee came to a clearing small enough for a large group to stand in. What she saw there made her insides turn.

The beaten carriage sat on its side, one wheel in the air—another had flown into the bushes. The door was blasted open, facing the sky. Lenalee, her breath suddenly stolen from her lungs, approached the wreckage, climbing on top of it to peer inside. She found no one.

Raising her head, Lenalee surveyed the dark clearing for any other clues and spotted one. She jumped from her perch and ran to the sprawled corpse of the driver, shaking when she heard no pulse from his heart. Her mind was swelling with terror as she scooted away, her hands trembling where they lingered in the air.

She almost screamed when she backed into something else on the ground. A single hand entered her line of vision and she turned slowly to the horrible sight of King Mana, bloody and motionless. A ways behind him, Marshal Yeegar lay prostrate in the dirt. Her heart pounding in her chest, Lenalee crawled to her knees and touched the king's shoulder.

"King Mana?" she barely whispered, praying silently that this was all just a nightmare. She shook his shoulder lightly. "King Mana? _King Mana?_ Your Majesty, please…"

Her throat was constricting painfully as she fought an onslaught of tears, Lenalee pressed the tips of her fingers into the ruler's wrist, waiting and waiting but feeling no heartbeat. Her trembling hands came up to cradle her face as her heavy breathing grew into hyperventilation. _Dead…they're all dead…_

It took her several minutes before she realized she wouldn't be able to calm herself down. Closing her eyes and ignoring the wet trails left on her face by the few tears that slipped through, she shakily pulled herself to her feet. A quick check over of Marshal Yeegar and Lenalee couldn't hold back anymore. Her chest heaved and sobbed as she wiped away the water in her eyes. She didn't want to see any more. She hadn't found Allen yet, but she was so afraid of what she might find that she didn't know if she wanted to.

Allen wasn't in the clearing. All Lenalee found upon inspection were the broken remains of Marshal Yeegar's golem and bits of the carriage that had gone flying. There were no signs of any akuma, no hints about what had happened, nothing that helped Lenalee at all. She wandered for well over an hour through the forest, calling Allen's name and reliving the horrible night in her head. She had been right. They would have been safer if they had just stayed in the city.

When she returned to the clearing, all out of hope, Lavi was there, looking around. At first, he was shocked when he saw her there and asked why she had left the city. She didn't listen to a word he said, sauntering over to slump in his arms and break down. He was the only one there to hold her when she cried and cried about how she couldn't find Allen anywhere.

Hours later, King Jin would learn from his golem that Marshal Cross had made an announcement in King Mana's kingdom—King Mana and his son were dead; the House of Walker had perished.


	2. The Golden Golem

Chapter 1_  
The Golden Golem_

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* * *

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Of all forces in the world, the most cryptic is time. It climbs and conquers the most powerful mountains; it infiltrates and directs the widest of oceans; it levels the best and feeds the worst; but most of all, it clings to the people who walk it. Creation and destruction, change and stagnancy—that is what time is. It encompasses everything, save for good and evil. Without time, humans would have no capacity to choose between the two. No matter on which side a person stands, the other side always exists, beckoning. In time, humans will falter, for time is corruption.

Time could speak memories of a desperate winter night nearly two years past that set in motion the corruption of four great kingdoms. Three months shy of Princess Lenalee Lee's eighteenth birthday found the world in the following state of affairs:

To the north, the frigid empire, shaken to the core by the problems of its ruling house, was on the brink of collapse. The extent of Lord Kanda's rule stretched across the cold lands to include most of the northern mountain expanse, but this proved to be too ambitious. The mountainous tribes generally rejected the rule and were spurred into rebellion at the slightest sign of weakness; this weakness emerged with the assassinations of the queen and her oldest living son, Masaki, just before his ascending the throne. As half of the family was killed within such a short period of time, the politicians and royal advisors fell into panic and had the surviving siblings placed under extreme protection in the capital, Godina. The once formidable nation, reduced to in-fighting, existed now as a shady, dangerous land.

To the south, the largest unity of peoples under Queen Maria thrived the most. With the northern empire in shambles, the southern kingdom of duchies boasted the continent's largest standing army. Due to its combination of many states, the economy was good and the culture was very richly expressed and shared, satisfying its people and feeding the common morale. Its military and political prowess raised the kingdom in the eyes of both its enemies and allies. Whether or not the royal house would endeavor to continue expanding its rule remained to be seen, however. Its recent annexations were still very new and in need of building up before anything else could be done, and so the government began a crackdown on crime. As the most stable power in the land, the south became wary of foreign invasion and espionage. Generally, Queen Maria tried to remain neutral in international affairs, but this proved increasingly difficult when some of the most renowned outlaws fled her jurisdiction.

To the west, the smallest nation, once prospering through its technological advances, found that time would have it reach its peak. It would never reach its potential as an economic superpower as, with the assassination of the House of Walker, the government fell into utter disarray. With no apparent heir to the throne and no decided line of succession, the politics and partisanship tore the country apart overnight. There was no sense of consistency anywhere, plunging the public into destitution. In the chaos, one man rose to power to unite the battered land under his new rule: the rule of Cyril Kamelot. He assumed viceroyship so that the question of inheritance could be sorted out, simultaneously grabbing the system by its teeth and pulling the barely standing nation back onto its feet, but only just. With the politicians and advisors making little to no progress on their mission to restore their land, Kamelot instigated his own plans for improvement, reappointing the leaders until, conveniently, his own family sat at the top of the ladder. Very quickly, the viceroy established his own line and made a stake in the world of conquest.

And to the east, a humble country, towered over by its superiors and clung to by the fallen, rested in the hands of King Komui of House Lee. Its ruined ally to the north and neutral neighbor to the south found no time to worry over the land hidden by mountains rich with Innocence, so Komui had to turn to other sources to keep his country from collapsing next. Traditionally, the East had often been courted by the West, ever since the tinier western nation had existed in its newborn stages, and this tradition was continuing with Viceroy Kamelot, who had been quick to befriend Komui at the outset of his rule. The viceroy offered to renew their nations' long-standing friendship in order to boost the morale of their subjects, for which Komui was eager, but the proposed method was not the king's ideal solution: marriage. Komui had no offspring to put forward, but to his horror, the viceroy proposed that Komui's beloved sister, Lenalee, be married off instead. To avoid political tension, Komui would allow Lenalee to marry but only if it was with the man _she_ wanted. The viceroy was free to present her with any man he pleased until Lenalee agreed, and as of yet, the viceroy has not followed through.

But that was soon to change. For a week, Komui had been filled with anxiety, starkly aware that the time had come; Viceroy Kamelot had finally sent for Lenalee to meet the first suitor. Komui could not tell how Lenalee felt about this—her indifference to the situation unnerved Komui to no end. Had she not fully comprehended what was going on? Komui never wanted to keep anything from his precious baby sister, but every time he tried to very rationally explain the perils she would soon dive into, Lenalee seemed uninterested or preoccupied. Well, one time she had gotten rather upset when Komui tried to give her _the talk_ in great detail about what men really wanted from young, pretty, unsuspecting girls, but generally she ignored all of his worries!

So what was an overprotective ruler to do? Certainly Lenalee was not _considering_ the proposal; his beloved sister was too pure and innocent for dangerous thoughts of men. After all, Komui had spent his entire life making sure his Lenalee remained that way, and no one would dare tell him he had not succeeded. Now, however, he was concerned that all his efforts would go to waste if he let this continue.

But for diplomacy's sake, he had no choice.

Komui chewed on his thumb, pacing back and forth. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Their father had entrusted _him_ with Lenalee's well-being before the previous king and queen passed on, and already it felt as if he could do nothing but watch as his sister was assaulted by untrustworthy men. Perhaps that wasn't exactly what his father had been talking about, but it was definitely how Komui saw things! And he only had one day left to prepare Lenalee for the dangers she would surely be facing very soon. He had made up his mind the night before through all of his fretting that today he would _make_ Lenalee listen, even if it meant tying himself to her side until the sun set. She would hear him out!

Where _was_ Lenalee anyways?

* * *

Looking around, it might have been impossible to believe that this slum once played home to the greatest rulers of the West. Prosperity had left the common people more than a year before with the shift in power among the royal houses. With the economic upsets that followed, it was a miracle that their shambled nation could keep itself together. Yet somehow, through the hardships, this bustling city always hosted an electric atmosphere.

That was probably what Wish appreciated most about where he lived. Even on the worst of days, the excitement of the marketplace was always lively and hectic enough to make him forget, if only for a moment, just how terrible life had turned out. Granted, he was grateful to have a roof over his head—most orphans couldn't say that for themselves these days. Of course, sharing that roof with the delusional drunk Claus Maynard offset however fortunate he felt. The man was a lunatic, raving about his exploits of the southern mountainous regions—which did not exist—or his magical abilities that seemed to be limited to his unbelievably high alcohol tolerance. "Town loony" didn't even begin to come close to describing the nut job. However, at some point in his life he must have done _something_ right, if his never-ending influx of money counted for anything.

A tiny fraction of that money sat in Wish's pocket as he marched down the streets, fingering the coins on occasion to make sure they were still there. Pickpockets were rampant, and if he didn't bring back that bottle of wine like he had been ordered to, he could hardly imagine what horrors would await him when he returned. Master Maynard was particularly unforgiving whenever his precious spirits were involved. Wish shivered a little and decided to focus on the task at hand.

Something about the streets that day seemed off. Wish couldn't help but notice how many main roads were blocked, crowding the way even more. Whatever event of the day was occurring was lost on him, and he didn't really care. Something was happening in town. Good for the town. It wasn't like Wish would get to be a part of it. He had work to do.

Nothing would ever be able to shut down the bazaar at the center of town. No circumstances stood a chance of stopping the hustle and bustle of the market, and Wish knew this very well. Just as expected, the streets were jam packed like always, but he expertly wove his way through the crowd to a familiar stand.

Several shoppers leant curiously over the table, eying the various brands and flavors and samples of alcohol on display. Wish wrinkled his nose, not particularly caring for the strong scent that flooded the air around them, but he sauntered up to the side and waited to catch the vendor's attention. It took longer than he would have liked.

"Oh, Wish!" the merchant cried at long last, setting off another man with his newly purchased brandy. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long," Wish said, hoping to get the pleasantries out of the way as soon as possible. Was it a bad thing that the liquor vendor knew him by name?

"How have you been?" the seller asked, fishing around in a box for a new display item. "Old Maynard treating you well?"

Wish's face fell, the young boy preferring not to think about the horror that the honest answer to that question implied, so he ignored it. "The usual, please," he ordered, pulling out his pocketed change.

The merchant hummed lightly, accepting the money and storing it away immediately before prying a tall bottle from a hefty sack behind him. Someone bumped into Wish as the bottle was offered to him, making his hands miss at first, but eventually he accepted the wine gratefully. Not many people would sell a boy his age alcohol, but there were those who knew Wish wasn't buying it for himself.

"Thanks," Wish said, smiling before turning on his heel and walking directly into the back of a rather large man. He fumbled with the bottle, his stomach dropping until he got a good grasp of it again. He apologized profusely to the stranger he bumped into before squeezing through the thickening crowd.

Wish had a difficult time prying his way through the square. People were beginning to forcefully push back to the sides of the streets, jamming and crowding the edges of the market and pulling Wish along for the ride.

_What's going on?_ Wish wondered briefly, ducking around another pair of legs. This definitely wasn't normal crowd behavior. Nonetheless, Wish couldn't be bothered to ask anyone. He wanted to get back and get his errand over with so he could eat. Determined, he broke away from the flocks into the strangely empty center of the square.

"Back up!" someone shouted roughly. Out of no where, an arm swiped around Wish and flung him to the side. Wish fell to the ground, the bottle of wine flying from his hands. A monstrous horse plowed the space where Wish had just been, stomping through the newly made clearing.

Recovering, Wish opened his eyes and sat up, gawking along with the rest of the crowd at the grand carriage bearing a large official-looking crest on the side passing through. In the open canopy sat an ostentatious man, his long dark hair pulled back by a tie. The important-looking man peered over his nose at Wish through a thin monocle for a moment with a dirty look on his face. Wish only stared back, slightly offended by the glare and hardly paying attention to the cheerful little girl hanging over the carriage to wave at the onlookers.

And then the man's face snapped away, gazing out at the front of the carriage like he hadn't noticed Wish in the first place. Wish blinked, brought back into reality by the not-so-subtle mutterings of the crowd behind him.

"-from the palace-"

"-load of bull-"

"-how cute the viceroy's daughter-"

"You alright, kid?"

The last one had been directed at Wish, and the orphan found a large hand in his face. Wish gratefully took it and was unceremoniously pulled to his feet.

"Yeah, thanks," he mumbled, brushing the dirt off his pants. The scraping from the horses' hooves was fading behind the rolling wheels as the carriage and its posse continued down the streets and out of sight. Heads of all shapes and sizes, Wish's included, turned gradually to follow the carriage's journey with wide eyes until it vanished in the distance. The gossiping never let up once, the crowd sounding like a swarm of buzzing bees. "What was all that about?"

The large man that helped him drew his lips up and shook his head. "Viceroy Kamelot just makin' his way back from checkin' the renovations, I s'pose. You better watch yourself, kid. They won't give a damn if you become pancake batter so long 's you don't stick to the pavem-"

Wish's empty fingers twitched and the boy stopped listening when dread washed over him like a tidal wave. He yelped and hopped onto his toes, head spinning frantically around to the other man's confusion until Wish spotted what he was looking for. A high-pitched noise was emitted from the unlucky boy when he discovered the precious bottle of wine no longer in bottle form, rather splayed about the road, staining the stone in a manner similar to blood. The glass was in sharp, dangerous pieces, but this did not deter Wish from approaching the remnants to see if he could manage to save anything. Alas, no part of the bottle was still large enough to hold any liquid as all of it was now drying in the sun.

"Oh noooo," Wish whined pathetically, dragging his fingers along his slack jaw in abject horror. That was it. He was a dead man. No way would he survive if Master Maynard learned of this, and the man was sure to with no supper wine to speak of. Wish couldn't even imagine what would become of him. When his master found out he _broke_ the bottle…

A light when on in Wish's head. Who said Master Maynard had to find out about this? No, all Wish had to do was scrounge up enough money to buy another bottle before the stands closed and he could make it out of this alive. He had the rest of the day, albeit in any case he would be back later than expected and wouldn't get off easy for that, but he would live. Yes, he would _live_. That was the important part. Survival. Good.

Now where would he get the money? He could gamble his way out of this as usual, but he would be risking a hefty punishment if he stayed out late enough to play with the usual bar rat suckers. The pubs wouldn't be open yet for him to look for a newbie and it was likely he would run into a soldier or some other kind of trouble who wouldn't take too kindly to being hustled. After all, if the viceroy had been checking the renovations, the city's security was sure to be heightened.

_Wait…renovations?_

The burly stranger who had helped him before was scratching his head at Wish's peculiar antics until he was startled by the strange boy rounding on him with high energy. Eerily, the gloom hadn't quite left Wish's face, but something akin to cunning was present there also.

"Excuse me, sir," the orphan asked all-too-innocently, "did you say something about renovations?"

The addressed quirked an eyebrow and nodded. "Yeah, they're fixing up the old castle by the viceroy's order."

"And by 'fixing up' I assume you mean rebuilding and refurnishing?" Wish said, unable to stop the bright smile from spreading across his face.

"Well I'd assume something like that, yeah. Why?"

But Wish had turned on his heel before the man had even spoken, dashing off in a new direction.

"Thank you!" he called out at the last minute, waving at the man before rounding a corner and leaving one perplexed observer behind. What luck! They were refurnishing a _palace!_ Wish couldn't think of any place better he might knick a few priceless items and pawn them off for some quick cash in time for dinner.

The palace was on the edge of the city, a ways away from the bustle of downtown. The sun was high in the sky when Wish finally arrived. The first hint he got that he had made it was the barrage of loud noises that assaulted him several blocks away. Multitudes of workers were lifting, scraping and pounding away at the front gates, knocking away the old and worn to replace with the new and extravagant. Another group of laborers were carrying things in and out through the grand doors, removing the trashed antiques of the previous generations. Wish, hiding behind a pile of rubble, gulped when he saw the torn sofas and crumbling columns tossed into a giant dump. He hoped they hadn't removed all the good stuff yet.

It was probably a bad idea to go straight for the new things, Wish realized. They were likely to be on some kind of inventory and very much missed if they went missing. Wish liked his head where it was and did not want to tempt fate to have that change were he to be caught. If Wish knew anything about slow labor—and boy did he—the laziest would have left most of the trash on the top floors for last. Wish's best bet would be to search the upper levels of the palace first for anything worthwhile.

Unfortunately, he couldn't just waltz through the front door. On any other expedition that might have been possible, but from the looks of it, these workers were employed by the government. Topping off their uniforms (the likes of which Wish definitely did not possess) was the same crest he had seen gracing the side of Viceroy Kamelot's carriage. Wish would stick out like a sore thumb.

"Alright, plan B then," Wish whispered to himself, rolling up his sleeves.

Staying low to the ground, Wish darted from garbage hill to garbage hill, keeping a sharp eye out for any straggling workers. He was able to keep close to the inside of the palace gates and snuck around the side of the palace undetected.

When he was sure the coast was clear, Wish scanned the exterior of the castle carefully, noting all the open windows and their distance from the ground. There was only one open on the first floor. Wish would have liked to aim for the second floor, but it would be difficult to make it up that far without being noticed.

The first window provided different problems, unfortunately. The first floor was likely to be the most crowded, and that improved Wish's chances of being caught. What if someone was already in the room? Wish was pretty fast, but if the room had only one door, there was a chance he could be cornered. He could always jump back out the window, but then how would he make it off the palace grounds after being discovered?

It was a chance he'd have to take. Wish trusted his running abilities more than he trusted Master Maynard's patience and understanding. Getting caught was not an option, and neither was returning empty-handed.

Wish carefully crawled beneath the windows across the grass until he was underneath his desired entrance. Climbing to his feet, he hoisted himself onto the sill and through the opening quickly. He ended up in an open hallway with the afternoon sunlight filtering through the panes. No one was around, thankfully, but Wish didn't trust it to remain that way. Picking a direction towards the back of the castle, Wish began to sprint lightly, avoiding making too much noise.

The first set of stairs he found was in the center of a grand main hall. Wish avoided it due to all the people working there. Maids were climbing the staircase up and down, cleaning the rails and rolling up the rugs.

Wish continued on around through a door at the end of his pathway and discovered a sitting room. To his horror, there was a gaping hole in the corner of the wall, letting in a terrible draft from the outside. The remains of a smashed piano littered the ends of the floor. Wish didn't have to think too long to guess how that hole had gotten there.

Luckily there were several other doors in that room leading to other parts of the palace. Wish chose one at random, following the hall it led to until he came upon many other destroyed rooms. There was one with a long table broken in half, pieces of china scattered dangerously across the floor and crunching under Wish's shoes. The kitchen connected to the room in the back looked to be an even more perilous jungle; Wish didn't attempt to enter it for fear of his life. It was when Wish had tiptoed halfway through the ruins of the third drawing room that he even began to think about the history behind this place.

He had heard the riots had been terrible. After all, they had orphaned him. When Marshal Cross Marian had staged the coup, no one even realized what had happened. With the royal family gone, the political powers that had been immediately scrambled for supremacy. Unfortunately, they found far less enticing rewards for their grubbing. None of them could assert any authority in time to quell the mobs Marian incited. The royal guard had not been assembled, and the people ran rampant, breaking into shops and homes while stealing and fighting. The palace had not been spared from this either. Masses of people stormed the bastion by midnight, pillaging and destroying everything in their paths. Draperies and statues, jewelry and commodities, everything precious had been cleaned out immediately. With all the easiest treasures gone, the greedy began to break into every safe and hiding place imaginable. The damage they had done showed horribly as Wish trudged through the dilapidated castle. He had only heard of the destruction. He didn't remember it at all.

Master Maynard had told him enough to keep his curiosity sated. Wish's family had been trampled to death in the riots, and Wish would've met the same fate had it not been for Master Maynard's mercy. The old drunk had found the boy on the pavement being kicked around by the frantic crowds. His arm had been crushed, many of the bones inside it never healing perfectly from the trauma even to that day. Master Maynard carried the boy away from the carnage to the safety of his home, where he nursed the fallen boy back to health. Had Wish not hit his head and forgotten the night, perhaps he would feel a bit more grateful towards the man. Unfortunately, the man's violent tendencies and terrible example spurred on by his alcoholism discouraged Wish from ever seeing him as any kind of role model. He tended to think of the event as one of Master Maynard's Random Acts of Insanity.

What was left of that terrible night Wish now found himself walking among. Wish definitely felt a sense of sorrow and guilt as he recalled the stories. He wanted desperately to remember the faces of his parents or the life he led before the kingdom fell into chaos. Perhaps they would be good enough memories to inspire him in his darkest hours. He certainly had a lot of hours like that. What he would give for just some glimmer of happiness to hold onto. With their nation's economy in the meat grinder and their foreign relations hardly any better off, no one had any aspirations these days. Why would a miserable orphan like himself be any different?

_I think I get why Viceroy Kamelot wants to fix this place up,_ Wish thought as he kicked a fallen chair out of his way. A desecrated castle wasn't a good symbol to the nation if they wanted to build it up again. Despite all the discontent for the government he had been catching wind of, Wish couldn't help but have a little bit of respect for the viceroy. For a man who had come seemingly out of no where to take the reigns of the country unable to resolve the problems with its monarchy, he definitely could get things done. There was no denying the reverence that the man commanded was remarkable. Wish had seen for himself how the entire market had gone quiet in the viceroy's mere presence.

Perhaps that was how the unfavorable sentiments for the man had been formed. Wish got the feeling that a man who seemed that stern wasn't a very forgiving one. The harshness of the laws and their corresponding punishments had steadily overrun the entire kingdom with fear and displeasure. No doubt these policies were born of the barbarous riots that preceded them. They served their purpose well; no one messed with the law anymore and lived to tell the tale.

_I wonder if the viceroy plans to live in this place,_ Wish wondered, climbing a short set of carpeted stairs. He must have made it to the servants' quarters. There were fewer rooms here that once served the purposes of leisure. Instead he found torn baskets that might have been for laundry and sinks for washing dishes. He passed some moldy storage rooms for brooms and mops, rags and soaps. Sometimes he didn't even have to open them to know what they were—the stench from the growth was enough to get a decent idea.

Wish hadn't found anything remotely worth what he needed yet, but that was okay. He still hadn't gotten to the higher levels of the palace he aimed for. He had climbed four flights of stairs so far, and he expected to climb many more before finding his prize, if he managed to make it that far.

The would-be thief froze in his tracks at a new sound. The tapping of footsteps was coming from somewhere down the hallway he was in and they didn't belong to him. Wish began to inch back along the wall as silently as possible, praying for whoever was there to choose another path. Fortune would have it differently, however, and Wish could hear the footsteps still approaching. Cursing to himself, Wish snuck back through the hallway, looking for a door, a curtain, anything! The footsteps were growing louder and louder.

Wish's hands, feeling along the wall, ran into something small protruding out in front of him. He almost shouted, shaking his hand in pain and caressing it where it was hit before observing the offending thing. It was a small handle on a slot. Wish grabbed it and pulled, discovering a large flap that came out of the wall.

_A laundry chute?_

When the echoing footsteps reminded him of his situation, Wish didn't think twice. He lifted the slot open all the way and jumped inside the chute, surprised when his feet instantly met the bottom. Happy he wouldn't have to fall several yards down and make a possibly suspicious sound with his landing, Wish waited patiently for the footsteps to pass. His hiding spot proved successful when eventually all signs of other life faded away with Wish remaining undiscovered.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Wish moved to push the chute open again when his hand found something strange once more. There was a convenient groove inside the chute helping him hold himself up. Curiously, he ran a finger over it, finding it to be rather large and deep to be just an accident. Wish shuffled around in the chute to face that side and placed his fingers inside the groove. There was nothing particularly special about it, but it was large enough for him to support himself by his feet. A thought struck him, and Wish patted up the wall of the chute. As he suspected, there was another groove above the first one also big enough for his fingers to grasp. A line of similarly carved grooves continued above them.

"There's no way these were built in," Wish figured, noting the rough edges and uneven deepness. "Someone put these here."

A ladder inside a chute. Wish smirked, guessing that some little kid must have made them with a knife or something. The chute was only so wide; not just anybody could fit inside it.

"Well why not?" Wish reasoned. "I was going up anyways."

Pressing his back against the opposite side of the chute, Wish slid his toes into one of the ditches and began to pull himself up several inches at a time. Had he not been worried about making too much of a racket, he could have gone a lot faster. Now that he thought about it, he really didn't have all the time in the world. It was already afternoon and he needed to get that wine before the shops closed. He could always get some from a pub, he reasoned, but if he waited long enough to have to resort to that, there was no telling how Master Maynard would react. The old drunk would definitely want his spirits for dinner.

Wish eventually ran out of grooves just in time for his head to bump against the ceiling of the chute. Groaning, he felt along the sides with one hand until he discovered the final flap. He slid slowly out through it so as not to fall down all that way to the bottom again. When he reached the ground, he managed to rub his head gingerly where he hit it before climbing to his feet and looking around.

This hallway was a lot darker than the ones on the lower floors. Heavy draperies kept the sunlight from flooding the windows except through some tiny tears, illuminating the thick dust floating aimlessly around. Wish brushed himself off before proceeding to the center of the open hall. There weren't nearly as many doors up here as he expected after exploring the lower levels. The halls were covered in fancy portraits and unlit candelabras, emphasizing the importance of this floor. _This_ had been Wish's goal.

At the back of the hall, a few steps led up to a split of staircases. Wish climbed them and observed the wall before him. An ostentatiously large portrait that must have once hung there sat crooked sideways against the wall. Even lopsided, the grandness of the painting made Wish feel amazingly insignificant. The portrait was of a lavish, powerful-looking man, his hair graying with age. His eyes seemed lost and glassy as if the man wore spectacles but took them off for the portrait. Despite his piercing gaze, the man in the portrait still gave off a mysterious air of pleasantness Wish couldn't place. Looking closer, Wish was surprised to find a slight smile on the subject's face, some teeth managing to glimmer between his lips. From far away, it would have been impossible to notice. Up close, however, Wish found himself entranced by the smile. Of all the vibrant colors and regal aspects of the picture, that smile defined the entire piece. Wish couldn't imagine seeing this man in person without a trace of that smile, and that unnerved him. It almost felt like he had met that man, but absolutely nothing else was familiar about him. This made Wish wonder what kind of man the portrait subject had been.

Wish backed away from the portrait of the eerie man and shook his head. Whoever this man was, it didn't matter to him. There were much more pressing things to be handled now.

Wish chose the staircase on the right to climb, discovering a new hallway even gloomier than the last. There were no windows at all, and very few doors. It took him several minutes just to find the first room. Its set of tall doors was jarred open, one of the doors barely hanging on its hinges. Despite the creepy setting, Wish found he was most comfortable with searching this room, whatever it may be, although he didn't know why.

Stepping into the room, Wish felt more at ease than he had that day. It was a bedroom that once upon a time must have been comfortable. He noticed it didn't seem particularly girly; there were no giant closets filled with dresses or boxes stuffed with jewelry. Then again, that would have made things too easy for him. If it had once belonged to a girl, chances were that all the good stuff was gone by now. He supposed the biggest giveaway was the simple portrait on the wall by the bed of a young boy.

"This place and portraits…" Wish whispered, ignoring that and eying the rest of the room. The bed at least still had its mattress, albeit hardly in place. The drapes around the bed were in rags and tatters. Nothing valuable immediately struck his eye, so Wish took a few more steps inside and spun around slowly. To his left was a row of tables, only one managing to keep on its legs. The dusty table had been knocked off the wall and jutted out at an awkward angle. Without thinking, Wish slipped his fingers under the edges and pushed the table back to stand evenly under the mirror hanging over it, upsetting the layer of filth masking it. He gently swiped his hand over the mirror to draw a wide streak clear enough to see through. Looking at his reflection made him half-frown; that ugly red scar running down the left side of his face stared right back at him. Slightly put off, Wish returned to the task at hand and ran his hands over the table's remnants. He avoided the jagged pieces of glass bottles that had been destroyed in the raid, opting instead to check the simpler-looking items set in the back. The few jars and tiny cases the pillagers hadn't had time to sweep up sat with lids askew and edges chipped, in too terrible of any shape to be sold for nearly enough money. Wish fingered the nicest looking ones, wondering how much he could manage to haul back to pawn for his desired amount.

A particularly short but wide box caught his eye. Shrugging, Wish picked the fat tin up, raising his eyebrows in surprise when he found it to be a lot heavier than he expected. He gripped the lid with his unoccupied hand and removed the delicate top slowly.

Upon seeing the jar's contents, Wish's face brightened, a large grin gradually spreading from cheek to cheek. _Gold!_ he realized, eying the innocent nugget greedily. What luck that something so valuable would have survived the rioting and looting! And as he took into consideration the enormous size of the glittering metal lump, he found some traces of hope returning to him. He was saved! With a highly improved mood, Wish dug a finger into the side, fully intent on grabbing the nugget to examine closer.

However, not everything went as planned. He wasn't quite sure how it happened, but before he knew it, the miraculous object sprung through the air and smashed into his face. Completely stunned, Wish froze for a good few seconds, trying to figure out how precious metal had learned to fly and why it would be snuggling so emphatically with his cheek.

"What the hell…?" The golden menace was caught by Wish's right hand, and it settled quickly into his palm as though it had been given a comfortable bed. Wish blinked several times, observing the tiny creases and designs the nugget had and taking note of the now obvious wings protruding from its back.

This wasn't a nugget at all.

"A golem?" Wish realized, poking the little machine with a tentative finger—its behavior reminded him of a lovable pet. The golden golem appreciated the attention, rolling on its side happily to accommodate the administrations (Wish raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced the golem could feel).

On a whim, the golem hopped up and began fluttering around again, circling Wish's head enthusiastically and bobbing in the air. Wish used this time to quickly contemplate his discovery. He had seen the golems in town—they were still somehow very popular despite the cost, but the common ones were among the cheapest. Wish had never had one for himself (only in his wildest dreams would Master Maynard ever give him such a thing), but that wasn't important. A golden golem would fetch a pretty penny at market, and if the popularity of golems was anything to be considered, he'd be able to make it back with a nice bottle of wine before sundown.

"Come here, little guy," Wish invited, holding out his hands again. The golem accepted the offer, landing on the fleshy platform innocently and allowing Wish to close his hands around it. "It's a miracle you survived this place so long, you know? It must be my lucky-"

"AAAAAIIIIIEEEEE!!" A horrible, piercing shriek resounded, splitting Wish's ears and loosening his hold on his golden prize. The golem managed to flap its wings frantically enough just in time to save itself from hitting the ground. Wish, startled out of his wits, looked around for the source of the terrible noise, and he found it.

"Oh crap!" he muttered before he could stop himself, eyes locked on the door.

A new arrival stood in the door frame, face and form taut with fright, stress, and a smidgeon of fury. Given the long dress and dirty apron she wore, it wasn't a bad guess to assume she was some sort of maid or servant. The worry lines on her face stood out particularly well with her brown hair pulled up into a tight, messy bun for work.

"THIEF!" she screeched long and loud, the sound making the hairs on the back of Wish's neck stand on end.

Wish jumped as she hurdled herself across the room in an attempt to catch him, leaping to the side just in time to avoid her. The woman fell flat on her face, arms outstretched. She behaved as though she had fallen in a puddle of mud.

"Don't take anything!" she cried desperately, scrambling to her feet to try again. Wish backed up step by step, barely managing to stay out of the maid's grasp. Her pathetic wailing intensified with each failed endeavor to capture him, as did the clumsiness of her actions. It was not long before she ran into the wall, following up with another face full of carpet.

"Are you okay?" Wish couldn't help but ask as her blubbering took control and found her flopping helplessly in her sorrow. He almost reached out to touch her shoulder before remembering that he was the one she was after. "There, there."

"Ooh, it's so terrible!" the woman sobbed, rather abruptly pulling herself to her knees and swaying back and forth. "To think that thieves wander so freely inside these palace walls! His Majesty must be turning over in his gra-a-ave!"

Wish blinked several times, watching the strange woman hold her head and increase the pace of her swaying. Who actually talked like that? "Um…"

"How could this happen? How could it come to this? The poor prince's things have all been taken! It's all my fa-ault!" the maid continued, sobbing in the middle of her words.

Trace amounts of sweat glistened on Wish's brow furrowed in confusion and worry. There was something wrong with this woman. "Excuse me, Miss-? EEP!"

"Why?" the woman moaned, grabbing the tail of Wish's shirt. Wish couldn't tug away from her vice grip despite his best efforts. "Why shame my king so? What left is there to ste-eal? My king's honor? My pr-"

It was abruptly silent, and it took Wish a few moments to recognize why. The crazy woman had stopped talking, her mouth hanging open in something akin to shock. Her bulging eyes were blinking rapidly, growing steadily larger as she slowly leaned in closer to Wish's face. When their noses were almost touching and she ceased to blink at all, Wish couldn't help but feel incredibly awkward and scared.

"Miss?" he squeaked lightly, completely thrown off by her sudden change in demeanor. The woman's head turned slightly to the side, her eyes fixating on something behind Wish. She did a double-take, and then looked back and forth between him and whatever she was looking at. There was a long period of silence that Wish was too afraid to break.

Suddenly, the woman exploded into another abominable scream. Wish would have been knocked off his feet had the maid not pulled his shirt hard enough to tug him down, forcing him to bend forward. Her nose nearly smashed against his as her wild eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

"YOU!" she cried dramatically, releasing the poor boy and flying back against the wall. "IT'S YOU!"

Wish had barely straightened up just as the servant was getting over her initial fits of stupor. "Um…yes?" Of course he was him. What did that…?

The woman, unable to bring herself to speak anymore, was holding a shaking finger in the air to point at something behind Wish. Curiously, Wish turned around to see the torn and dirty portrait hanging solemnly on the wall. All he could do was blink as he observed the faded colors once vibrantly tracing the folds of a regal outfit depicted on the canvas. A large, pale face stood out among the colors, lightly accented by the stray bangs from a crown full of brown hair, and large, silver eyes to contrast the darker tones of the tresses.

Wish didn't make the connection.

"Your Highness!" the frantic woman squealed, dropping onto her stomach in an unmistakable bow. Wish had to think a moment before realizing she was bowing to _him._

So there he was in a palace, and a woman who apparently worked as a maid there was groveling pathetically at his feet. _What did she call me?_

"What-?" Wish began, the words dying on his lips as he saw himself in the mirror again. This time, he could see the portrait hanging over him, and, despite his obvious facial deformity and white hair color, even he had to admit there was an uncanny resemblance. "What...are you on about?!"

"Look!" the maid cried, seemingly forgetting the status difference she believed existed between them and covering the left side of Wish's face with her hands. All it did was further emphasize the similarities between him and the portrait's subject, and Wish didn't need to see anymore. He pulled away from the woman, slightly put off.

"Yeah, I see it," he admitted, avoiding looking at the mirror anymore. "That doesn't mean anything though! _He_ died, didn't he?"

The servant's wide, watery eyes were trying to make him see otherwise.

"I heard!" she sobbed, grabbing his shirt once again and hanging limply towards the floor. "They never found him! They never found him! Marshal Cross never got him!" It was clear she sorely wanted to believe that Wish was the real deal. Looking up hopefully, she asked, "I always believed… Aren't you the proof?"

"Miss-I'm sorry, what was your name?"

"Miranda Lotto," she replied, starry-eyed and certain to ignore all of his complaints.

"Miranda Lotto," Wish repeated, "I'm sorry, but I'm not your guy."

The servant—Miranda—gasped loudly as though she had just reached an amazing epiphany. "The viceroy!"

"-and none of that has to do with…the viceroy?"

"We must take you to Viceroy Kamelot!" Miranda declared, jumping to her feet determinedly. "He'll know what to do! And then you can ascend the throne and clear up that Eastern business and fix everything!"

"…are you listening to a thing I'm saying?" Wish already knew the answer.

"But wait!" Miranda said, another realization dawning on her. "No…no no no! No, you can't do any of that yet!" Here, her face fell into a mask of abject horror. "No, surely…! If the marshal learned you were still alive, would he come back for you? Oh no no no! Marshal Cross would kill you! I couldn't bear it if my king died! Not again!"

"Whoa, please! Wait a minute, wait a minute!" Wish said, trying to pull away from Miranda and failing. "Just a minute ago I was the thief, remember? I'm no king!"

Miranda's face morphed forcefully into something frightening. A dark aura hovered over her as she stared darkly into Wish's eyes. Realizing all he said only infuriated her, Wish tried to pry his shirt free from her hands, shuffling back towards the bed.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he squeaked cautiously, freaked out by the sudden drop in temperature. "I have to go. I need to head back before sundown and…" _and you're scaring the living daylights out of me!_ "Well…it's been nice meeting you bye!" Wish spat out quickly, yanking desperately on his shirt while simultaneously making a break for the door. Miranda's grip never faltered, leading to a painful chain of events. She attempted to stop Wish by pulling back, but this only forced Wish to run a circle around her, chained by the garment. He tripped over her leg, flying head first into the stand beneath the mirror. It shook wildly before toppling over on them both. The glass bottles shattered loudly, followed by the thuds of the tiny, empty boxes impacting the carpet.

As the floating dust in the air gradually settled, Wish stirred, shifting onto his side to shove the fallen table down off his torso. Groaning, he held his forehead, shutting his eyes tightly before opening them and making sure he could still see straight. When no dizziness affected him, he kicked the table all the way off and rubbed his head, sitting up straight.

"Mir-" Wish had had the full intention of telling Miranda off and complaining about what were sure to become bruises when he cut himself off. Something beyond the dust was glinting and attracting his attention. The golden golem from before chose this moment to land on Wish's head, retracting its wings to nest comfortably against his scalp. Wish blinked the dust out of his eyes, ignoring the perched golem to contemplate the strange thing he saw on the ground.

A broken bottle's shattered pieces, dripping with some unknown solvent, sat in a random pattern around a tiny golden trinket. After a moment's thought, Wish crawled forward onto his knees, reaching out to brush the glass shards away delicately and slip a finger under a liquid chain.

"This…" Wish barely breathed, holding the pendant up close to his face. It was very plain, bearing only a tiny, red gem on the front and the fading imprint of some flowery crest on the back. "Something like this survived here for so long…" Wish let it spin slowly on its chain, quirking an eyebrow at the little bump on the side. It was probably a tiny latch for opening it. _Wait, open?_ Why would he think that? Frowning, Wish took the body of the pendant in his other palm, letting the flowing chain fall over the back of his hand. Without thinking, he readied his fingers to open it before coming to his senses. The nostalgic feeling he got when the cold chain grazed his skin and when his fingers ran over the smooth exterior began to unsettle him. The waning sunlight on the horizon broke through the window, lighting the room up half-heartedly; the shadows it cast somehow gave Wish a horrible sense of déjà vu.

He cupped the pendant in his hands and held it to his chest, bowing his head so that his chin met his fingers. Miranda watched him, a little bewildered by his actions. She did her best not to disturb him when she too sat up, feeling almost as though she might be interrupting something.

"I'm not-" Wish mumbled, eyes closed. He was very still again, and his silence made Miranda fidget awkwardly. As the chime of the city's clock tower rang, she found that she wanted something to be said, and after long last she got it. "I have to go."

Miranda blinked when Wish was instantly on his feet. Without a second thought, Wish pocketed his find and turned deliberately to the exit.

"Wait!" Miranda screamed, clambering to her feet as well. "Where are you going?"

Wish was already through the door. Miranda chased after him, tripping over her feet more than once. She managed to catch up with him at a staircase.

"You can't go! What ab-?"

"If I don't get back soon, I'm dead," Wish interrupted, not looking up.

"Back where?" Miranda rasped, not quite sure what was going on.

Miranda fell once again on her face, tripping when Wish suddenly stopped in his tracks. Recovering, Miranda scrambled to her feet and saw Wish looking around in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" she wondered.

"Miss Miranda," Wish began sheepishly, his attention shifting among the many hallways surrounding them. "I don't really know where I'm going."

* * *

Lenalee always awoke with the sun, an early riser her entire life. When the morning light filtered through the curtains and hit her brow she stirred instantly. Taking the time to stretch and yawn, she made to brush her hair out of her face before groaning.

"Nnn…" Another long yawn escaped her. "Huh…I'm so tired," she noted grumpily. This was unusual. How long had she been up the night before? Twisting at the waist to stretch her back, Lenalee tried to recall the previous night. Hadn't she spent it in the library?

Lenalee's eyes widened as she was flooded with memories. Lavi! She had stayed up late working with Lavi on the map! Lenalee sat up straight in her bed, wondering what had become of their labor. She couldn't remember putting their things away or where they had left off.

On that note, she couldn't remember going to bed either. She flushed with embarrassment. _Did I fall asleep in the library? Oh no…_ She must have though, but how did she end up in her room then?

No immediate answer came to mind. If someone had moved her, surely she would have woken up. She was not _that_ heavy of a sleeper, at least as far as she knew. She didn't even want to think what that might have looked like anyways, especially to her brother. But there wasn't really any other explanation.

Shaking her head, Lenalee got out of bed and put it from her mind. It was a weird enough morning already without the useless puzzles and guesses. Through the window she could tell that the day looked gray, giving her that ominous feeling that came with the lack of usual sunlight. It set her mood at mellow, and she put on some slippers and a robe before venturing out of her bedroom. She encountered the usual slew of maids prepared with options of clothes for the day and the like. It was all a very boring matter to her on a day like this, though, since Lavi was there. But she let them dress and primp her as she silently reflected on her plans for the day.

First and foremost, she would have to ask Lavi where they had finished at the end of the night and if he had continued without her. It was tedious work mapping out the sightings of Cross Marian and deciding which zones were worth checking for new clues, but they didn't have a lot of time to work on it together before deciding where to search next. For over a year, Lavi and Lenalee had been working relentlessly on solving the mystery left in the wake of the princess's disastrous birthday party. So many people had disappeared after the Earl of Millennium's ambush on the eastern kingdom, but politics did nothing to locate the most important ones. It took two months of fruitless investigations in Karenin before every last search party was called off and Allen Walker was pronounced dead. Were there a body to find, it would have been long gone by then, or that was the excuse made by the governments to keep from continuing to waste their resources. If anything came out of that situation for Lavi and Lenalee, it was the bounty placed on Cross Marian's head afterwards. Ever since the man had fled Karenin and committed treason in the western kingdom, alleged sightings and rumors about the rogue marshal began popping up from everywhere. Lavi did everything in his power to have these rumors collected, and he made extensive notes from them. With Lenalee's help, the duke was working on a map following what was likely Cross's trail in the hopes of predicting his movements and ultimately locating him. They figured that if any questions were going to be answered, they would be answered by the marshal being brought into custody; what was left of the mystery revolved around him.

And that was why she and Lavi had been up late in the library, which was likely to be the case for that night as well. Lenalee considered for a moment moving their work outdoors as her hair was pulled up into pigtails, but then she remembered how it was an overcast day. She wished to work in the sun, but things weren't really going her way today already.

To add to this fact, the moment she stepped out into the hall ready for the day she encountered none other than Reever Wenhamm, instantly sidetracking her from her search for Lavi.

"Ah, Lenalee, you're up," Reever panted from behind a heavy stack of papers. The stack seemed glued to his hands since there was never a day he was seen without them. As one of Komui's chief advisors, Reever had grown more casual with the royal house than most of the staff, but it had also led to a severe strictness streak in him. Komui was an infamous procrastinator, often dumping a stressful load of work on Reever's plate at the worst possible time. Despite Reever's best efforts to control the king, he was only ever so successful. The advisor's occasional grumpiness was an unfortunate side-effect.

"Good morning, Reever," Lenalee greeted. She didn't mind the informality, having grown up knowing the man. "By any chance, have you seen Lavi?"

Reever didn't answer immediately. In fact, the vaguely sly look on his face made Lenalee a little suspicious. "Well sure, last night."

"'Last night?'" That wasn't what Lenalee had meant, but she was getting a sinking feeling. Lavi and she had been alone in the library together all night. "Reever, you…" That sly look was still there. "You wouldn't happen to know how I got to bed last night, would you?"

"I don't know about that, Princess," Reever remarked casually, confirming Lenalee's suspicions, "though you should know, you're rather adorable when you're aslee-"

"ANYWAYS," Lenalee practically yelled, face beet-red. "_Lavi._ Have you seen him? _ Today?_"

Reever hid a knowing smile behind his stack of papers, reaching into his pocket. "Actually, yes. He asked me to give you something."

Lenalee accepted a crumpled letter from the advisor and thanked him, unfolding the note curiously.

_Lenalee,  
Got wind of something new. Heading off to check it out. Be back soon._  
–_Lavi_

And that was it. Lenalee sighed and folded the paper up again. "Be back soon" likely meant longer than she would have patience for. And thus her plans for the day were ruined.

The large hands that suddenly grabbed her shoulders promised new ones, though.

"Eek!" Lenalee squealed, jumping at the sudden grasp of her older brother. Komui embraced his sister emphatically in an unusual morning greeting, lessening his grip only at the desperate pleas of his beloved sibling.

"Good morning!" Komui sang as Lenalee broke free, giggling a little as she returned the greeting. "And what is my darling little sister doing roaming the halls?"

"Just talking," Lenalee explained, affirmed by Reever's curt nod. Komui nodded as well, fist to his mouth in possible approval.

"As you should be," Komui agreed with no one quite following him. "I take it Reever has been preparing you then."

A short pause followed this statement, after which both confused advisor and princess shook their heads in sync.

"What? Why aren't you being prepared?" Komui asked, sounding almost affronted.

"Prepared for what, Brother?" Lenalee asked. Reever could only wonder the same.

"Why, the dreaded tomorrow, of course!" Komui cried. "You _do_ remember what tomorrow is!"

Lenalee shook her head again, feeling sheepish. Had she been zoning out when her brother was telling her something important?

Reever, on the other hand, had caught on. "Oh! Doesn't Viceroy Kamelot come tomorrow?"

Oh, was that all? Lenalee breathed a sigh of relief. That didn't seem too worrisome.

"NO!" Komui shouted. "Well…yes, actually, but that's not what I'm talking about!"

"Then just tell me already," Lenalee mumbled, back on edge.

Komui cleared his throat a little before looking warily around. "Lenalee," he whined softly, "tomorrow you meet…_the suitor_."

The last two words were so soft Lenalee had to lean forward to catch them.

"The suitor?" she repeated, bringing detrimental harm to her brother's ears. "Wait, I think I remember that. But why would I need to 'be prepared?'"

"Did you mean '_get_ prepared,' Your Majesty?" Reever asked, rolling his eyes. "As in, 'Get her things together?'"

"My things?" She would need things? Lenalee thought that she would just have to spend an hour or so listening to some guy prattle on about himself and then she would be able to go back to work. There was an itinerary for this?

"Of course," Reever said. "You'll need to bring some stuff with you, like clothes."

"With me? Wait, am I going somewhere?"

The older men looked at Lenalee silently, both taking a while to realize Lenalee had _not_ paid attention to a certain detail of this entire ordeal any time Komui discussed it with her.

"Lenalee," Komui said plainly, "you're meeting him in Karenin."

* * *

Things hadn't exactly gone as planned. Despite working at the palace her entire life, Miranda proved entirely incapable of navigating the once great bastion, eating away more and more at Wish's precious time as they struggled to find the exit. It was only when the golden golem made its presence on Wish's head known that they made any progress, the golem taking off from its perch and flying down a narrow passage before them. Wish and Miranda chased after it, Wish not wanting to lose his prize and Miranda right behind him. The golem apparently knew exactly where it was going since it managed to guide them back down the chute Wish had found before and through the lower levels without getting caught by anyone, something Wish was very grateful for.

The golem led them to a window on the second floor opening to the back of the castle, towards the courtyards. Wish pulled himself up onto the sill to find a group of thick vines winding along the exterior walls, perfect for climbing.

"Nice work, little guy," Wish complimented. The golem fluttered around appreciatively before hitching another ride on Wish's head.

"W-w-w-w-w-wait!" Miranda stuttered, flailing and grabbing the young man's sleeve. "You're not going to…" Wish blinked at the maid as she trailed off. Her eyes spotted his hand outstretched towards the vines. "You can't climb down that!"

"Why not?" Wish asked.

"That's…you could get hurt!" Miranda squealed.

Wish smiled. "Don't worry. I do things like this all the time."

"But…but that's…" Miranda was having difficulty coming up with a new excuse. She was determined to bring this boy back to the viceroy, but she wasn't very good at convincing him to come along willingly. Miranda was absolutely terrible at everything, and if she couldn't coax, she _definitely_ couldn't use force. That left her merely to follow.

And apparently she was really bad at that too.

"Are you scared?" Wish asked. "I promise it'll be fine. We're only on the second floor anyways."

"But Your Highness…" Miranda barely mumbled, weakly stretching out a hand as Wish pulled himself over to the vines and began to work his way down expertly. Miranda leant out the window to watch him, gulping at the distance to the ground. Wish hopped down the last few feet and looked up.

"Are you coming?" Wish called.

After a few seconds, Miranda wailed pitifully.

Wish's brow furrowed apologetically. The light in the courtyard was almost gone; he didn't have time to wait. "Well then, it was nice meeting you."

Miranda perked up a little, panicking as Wish began to turn away. "Nooo!" she cried. "No, I'm c-comiiing!"

That was easier said than done, she realized shortly, dropping her legs out the window. Her dress wasn't exactly perfect for climbing in, and the vines burned painfully against her palms when she applied a lot of her weight. She prayed desperately that the vine wouldn't snap. Closing her eyes, she counted to three and swung herself over the sill.

Unluckily, her body slammed against the wall to her side, causing her to swing back towards the sill again. The vine's grip on the wall loosened a little and Miranda's body rocked back and forth dangerously.

"Miss Miranda?" Wish called, running to the foot of the vines. "Are you alright?"

Miranda simply whined in response, clinging onto the vine for dear life. Wish hovered underneath her anxiously. Neither could do anything but watch as the vine in Miranda's hands split, throwing Miranda down the side of the castle.

"AAAAAIIIIIEEEEE!!!" Miranda screamed as she plummeted, landing ungracefully on top of Wish. The golem on his head was sent flying while the boy was flattened in an attempt to catch the maid, hitting the ground harder than he ever remembered doing so in his life.

Stunned, Miranda took a long moment before finally pulling herself to her knees, rubbing her head dizzily. Beneath her, Wish groaned painfully, twitching a little.

"Oh no!" Miranda cried. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Wish shook a little and tested out moving his legs. "I'm…fine…" he managed, rolling onto his side. Miranda scooted back a little as he rose to a sitting position, taking deep breaths and patting wherever he could reach on his back. That had really knocked the wind out of him.

"Are you sure? Is there anything I can-?" Miranda continued frantically.

"It's okay," Wish choked, holding up a hand to stop her while the golem found its perch in his hair once more. "It's okay. I'm sure, I'm fine. What about you?"

Miranda blinked, removing her hand from where it was rubbing her head. "Huh?"

"Are you…uh…huh…" Wish began, rising to his feet and noticing the odd woman barely had a scratch. "Here, let me help you up."

Wish bent over to offer his hand and help Miranda to her feet as well. The woman stumbled at first and fell into Wish, startling the younger man almost enough to fall and start the process all over again. Miranda was becoming teary-eyed at her clumsiness, something Wish eventually picked up on.

"Ah, don't cry!" he worried. "Are you not alright?"

"No, it's fine," Miranda garbled miserably, backing up. "It's always like this. I'm so sorry, Your Highness. I'm just…I'm so sorry!"

"You should stop with the 'Your Highness' business," Wish mumbled annoyed before returning to the matter at hand. "There's no need to apologize."

"I'm sorry!" Miranda wailed again, clutching at her hair. "I mean…oh, please forgive me! I'm just a good-for-nothing! I only thought…"

"Miss Miranda," Wish tried, hoping Miranda didn't attract any unwanted attention with her crying. "Hey, it's okay. It happens to everybody."

"No, no it doesn't! It's been like this forever!" Miranda sobbed, back bumping into the wall. "I can't do anything right! Please, I only want to make sure Your Highness is okay. I don't want to cause you trouble-"

Wish didn't know what to do. He had never been with a crying woman before, and all the noise was going to give him a lot more to worry about if he didn't think of something fast. "Miss Miranda," he started again, grabbing the woman's wrist. "Here, I'm sorry. This way."

Wish led Miranda through the rows of overgrown hedges, twisting and turning until they reached the tall gates keeping out the rest of the world. They followed along the beaten stone until they came across a decently demolished block, climbing over it and out of the palace grounds. It wasn't until they neared the main streets when Miranda's tears had begun to subside. She was reduced to sniveling by the time Wish had come across the busiest pub in town. Twilight was nearing its end and all of the lights on the street and in the buildings were lit. Wish gulped, seeing the stars starting to appear. He had already run out of time. Master Maynard was going to skin him alive.

"A bar?" Miranda croaked.

"I have to make a quick stop," Wish explained, entering the pub. Miranda followed close behind, staying on his tail as Wish approached the counter. The pub had only just opened, so it was fairly empty. At Wish's call, the bartender came over to greet them.

"Ah, Wish," the bartender said familiarly. Wish smiled begrudgingly at the man. He didn't hate the bartender, but he hated knowing him. "What brings you here?"

"I'll bet you can guess," Wish said, grinning sheepishly.

The bartender rolled his eyes and sighed. "I can't put anything more on that man's tab, kiddo," he explained exasperatedly. "You haven't paid off anything in two months."

"I'll come by tomorrow!" Wish promised, grabbing the counter. "I'll do your dishes! I'll clean your floors! I'll do anything, _please!_"

The bartender still looked a little reluctant so Wish clasped his hands together and bowed his head humbly.

"Alright, alright," the bartender agreed, rubbing his head. "Just this once, got it?"

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Wish cried, wondering how it had been so easy. It wouldn't matter too much though since he was already late. The bartender just shook his head and headed to the back to find Wish his order.

Miranda rocked along the balls of her feet a few times, looking back and forth between Wish and the bartender before leaning over the boy's shoulder. "He called you…Wish? I've never heard such a name…"

"A nickname," Wish explained, resting his arms on the counter and turning his head to look at the maid. "It's a lot better than my real one, let me tell you."

"It…" Miranda looked up at the ceiling in thought. "It…sounds so…"

"Weird? Stupid?" Wish tried.

"Romantic!" Miranda exclaimed, hands joining together excitedly.

Wish was taken aback. "Eh?"

"What a gorgeous name! I wish I had such taste! I can't think of names to save my life!" Miranda babbled on, starry-eyed.

Wish's face fell and he restrained from informing her that she might still want to keep working on her taste. "Um…maybe for a pet, I guess."

"No, really! How symbolic! A nickname, you said? What for?"

Wish's face fell further. Normally he wouldn't tell the asker, but the treatment his nickname was getting tempted him to bring this worshipping of his name to a screeching halt. "Aloysius," he deadpanned.

And come to a screeching halt Miranda did. Even she couldn't imagine why anyone would name a child that.

"Oh, that's…er…"

"Hideous," Wish finished for her.

"Well, um…" Miranda said awkwardly, "It won't matter much, I guess. After all, Your Highness's name…"

"Will be used, I hope," Wish cut off Miranda. "Could you please not call me that anymore?"

"But Your Highness-"

"It can only draw unwanted attention," Wish explained. "I don't know if you know, but royalty has bad connotations around here. Use my name, please."

Miranda hesitated for a moment, considering this. It was true that she didn't want to get His Highness into any unnecessary trouble. She would have a hard time doing anything to reverse the damage. Being on a first-name basis wouldn't be too bad, right? She could see the logic behind remaining incognito.

"Okay then…Allen," Miranda agreed.

Wish almost fell to the floor at this. "No! No no no no, Wish! Please, call me Wish!"

"But that's-"

"Look, Miss Miranda," Wish said, holding back his irritation. "I told you, I'm not who you're looking for. I don't mean to be rude but…" He sighed. "If you want, you can just follow me home, I guess. I think when you see that you'll understand why I'm nobody special."

"But look at you!" Miranda squeaked, gesturing at him. "Even without that portrait here, I can see the resemblance perfectly! I know I'm not so good at things but…but I can know things, and I'm just so certain…"

"I know, I'm sorry," Wish pressed. "I don't want you to get your hopes up, Miss Miranda. I'm just a nobody from the streets."

Tears were welling up in Miranda's eyes again, but they were different this time. Her eyebrows curled inwards almost angrily. _He_ was a nobody? She knew all about nobodies, and she knew that despite being nobody, nobodies still felt and thought and were—of this she was living proof. She was a good-for-nothing and had never aspired to anything greater than that. But the one thing she had going for her—the one thing that assured her she was still there—was that she kept trying, and even if she was wrong, she was going to keep trying here as well. Wasn't it worth it? Wasn't it worth it to have that hope?

"I think you're wrong, Allen," she whispered, shaking nervously at her gall. "I think you're somebody."

Wish glanced over at her apologetically before turning to see the bartender returning. Miranda almost cried when she saw he didn't believe her.

"I guess you'll find out the hard way then," Wish muttered, for the life of him not understanding how someone could believe so blindly in something like that. "Thanks," he said, accepting the bottle of wine from the bartender, who stared at the shining golem on his head perplexedly. With the errand over, Miranda dejectedly followed Wish out of the bar.

Night was beginning to creep up on them, and Wish's stomach sank. Fleetingly, he wondered if bringing back a guest would keep Master Maynard from losing his temper before he was struck with an even more terrible idea. What if Master Maynard tried to _seduce_ Miss Miranda? Miss Miranda didn't seem very capable of fighting back, and Wish wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ruined an innocent woman's life over a bottle of wine. He considered all his options as they continued to the slums. Maybe he could get her to go home somehow. Maybe she'd be so disturbed by Master Maynard that she would never go looking for Wish again. He wouldn't get his hopes up, but Miranda didn't give off the vibe of someone who might be interested in his master. Perhaps this would all work itself out rather nicely.

Wish clung to this thought as they neared the corner leading to his meager home. There was always a chance he could be lucky. After all, he managed to make it through that palace relatively unscathed, and he even found a few trophies to remember the time fondly. Today was more his day than any other.

But his good mood was shot to hell when they rounded that corner and were met with a spectacle to behold.

Wish had seen his master get into compromising situations on many, _many_ occasions, sexual and otherwise. All of them had been scarring and outrageous, but dare he think that this one took the cake?

"What…the…?" Wish blinked in horror. Miranda was speechless but just as shocked at the sight that greeted them.

It appeared that _somehow_ the devious Claus Maynard had managed to assemble a division of the royal guard in the streets. From where they stood, Wish and Miranda could see the suave, red-haired man nonchalantly take the questioning of the guard's captain, who seemed to be growing more irked by the second. Wish shared the man's anger.

"Master Maynard?" he shouted without thinking. The dozen or so soldiers all turned around at his call.

"Who's that?" the captain snarled, spotting Wish and Miranda.

Maynard might have rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath. Of everyone present, he was clearly the calmest and most collected, which was odd for a man supposedly being interrogated. Wish attributed it to the man's insanity.

A thump from behind drew Wish's attention and he turned around to see that Miranda had fallen on her bottom. Confused, he ran back to her side. "Are you alright?"

Miranda didn't pay him any attention. She was too busy gawking and shaking as she raised a trembling finger to point down the street. "Th-th-th-"

"Miss Miranda?" Wish asked, noticing that one of the soldiers had made a move towards them.

"Th-th-that…h-h-h-…" Miranda stuttered in fright. Wish grabbed one of her shoulders, preparing to help her to her feet. That soldier was starting to get a little too close. "Th-th-th-that's C-C-Cross Marian!"

The soldier froze in his tracks, and a heavy silence filled the air. "What?" Wish asked.

"Cross Marian!" Miranda shrieked, shaking her finger wildly. "That man…!"

Wish followed the path of her finger down the street to where the captain and Master Maynard were standing. The soldiers had all gone rigid and the captain's eyes were beginning to bulge. Behind him, Maynard chuckled softly.

"Cat's out of the bag…" he murmured, reaching into his coat casually just as the captain turned to face him again. The soldiers began shouting angrily in disbelief, stirring up a chaos among them before any decisions could be made. The captain was confused but approached the older slum resident regardless to give him a better look. They had come because of a tip that a suspicious man was telling stories sympathizing with rebels and their supporters, and they had discovered this drunken old hermit, who decided to exchange sarcastic remarks with the guard force. Next thing they knew, someone was throwing Cross Marian's name around?

"I don't…huh?" Wish said, equally at a loss.

"That man! That one there!" Miranda screamed hysterically, kicking her feet out. "It's him! Oh no! Oh no oh no oh no oh-"

"Miss Miranda, who-?"

Wish never got to finish his question when a jarring explosion shook the street. Once more Wish found his precious bottle flying from his hands to shatter depressingly on the road. But before he could comprehend what had happened, a wave of blinding smoke spread through the area. He turned around to look back but all the soldiers and his master were gone in the haze. He couldn't see anything and could only feel Miranda beneath him as both of them had fallen to the ground together. Miranda was coughing in the smoke, and Wish was almost inclined to do the same. He covered his face and peered teary-eyed through the smoke.

Master Maynard appeared in front of him, seemingly out of no where. Wish jumped back in shock at his arrival, nearly crushing Miranda beneath him.

"I see you're finally back, imbecile," Master Maynard chided composedly. "Took you long enough."

"Master Maynard," Wish choked, wiping his eyes. "What the hell just-?"

"STAY AWAY!"

Before Wish or Maynard knew it, Miranda had jumped in front of Wish, making her body seem as big as she could manage. However, she immediately lost her balance on her knees and wobbled back, falling on top of Wish. Hyperventilating, she held the younger boy tightly in her arms and squeezed her eyes shut.

"PLEASE, JUST STAY AWAY!" she cried shrilly. "DON'T HURT THE PRINCE!"

Wish couldn't make out Master Maynard's expression in the smoke, but he could see the older man's silhouette approaching them steadily. Miranda was trembling madly and Master Maynard was entirely silent. The ominous atmosphere unnerved Wish, and somehow he found himself starkly anxious. Miss Miranda thought Master Maynard was Cross Marian? _The _Cross Marian? The treasonous marshal who had ruined their country and killed their king before running off into hiding?

In the short, silent moment, Wish's mind could only stray to terribly irrational thoughts. What if she was _right?_ Wish really didn't know anything about his caretaker; he had never bothered to pry too far for fear of unpleasantness. He wouldn't know the difference between Cross Marian and any other person in the world. Granted, Master Maynard was certainly evil enough—Wish could attest to this. And Miss Miranda had just referred to him as the prince! If this was truly Cross Marian and the marshal put two and two together… Maynard raised a hand threateningly over the pair and Wish shut his eyes tight.

"Oh, so you found Tim?"

That was Master Maynard's voice. It sounded...very relaxed. Wish peeked through one eye to see the golden golem from the palace fluttering about the older man's outstretched hand excitedly.

"Tim?" Wish found himself saying. The golem, thrown off by the previous explosion, flew its way back to Wish's head and nestled in his hair.

"The golem I designed to respond solely to Allen Walker: Timcanpy," Maynard said offhandedly, lighting a cigarette. "Well then, you're already halfway there."

"Halfway _what?_" Wish asked, but Maynard ignored him entirely.

"Time to get started then," Maynard remarked as Miranda pulled herself off of Wish. "You'd do well to listen closely. If you take a road out of here south and cross the border, you'll find yourself in the duchy of Barthule. I should advise you to waste no time getting there. Make for the city of Dering where you'll meet a woman named Sachiko. Got all that?"

"Are…Master Maynard?"

The older man growled before viciously kicking Wish across the pavement. Miranda squealed.

"Use your brain, dumbass. Barthule. Dering. Sachiko. Don't make me say it again."

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-" Miranda stammered, inching away from the domineering man.

Maynard finally paid her attention and tipped his hat. "Congratulations, Miss, you caught me, although I'd have preferred on different terms. I'm going to suggest you go along with this dunce, unfortunately. I doubt you'd want to have to deal with _them_."

As if to emphasize his point, the yells of some of the soldiers recovering from their stupor rang through the smog.

"And with that, I'll be leaving," Maynard said, turning around and somehow causing another stunning explosion before anyone could blink.

When he could register what was happening again, Wish struggled to his feet, tiny debris falling from his clothes as he peered through the smoke. Miss Miranda was flat on her face a yard in front of him, sprawled in shock. Shaking to his senses, Wish ran to her and looked around, unable to see anything else, including Master Maynard.

"Master!" Wish shouted. His master was no where to be seen. "Oh you've got to be kidding… Master! Master Maynard!"

His only response was the low yell of a recovering soldier, muffled in the clearing haze. Wish quickly dropped to one knee, body tensing with caution. Being caught by the royal guard was not high on his to-do list.

"Not good," he couldn't help but hiss when their smoky cover had thinned substantially. "Miss Miranda." He nudged the fallen woman, urging her to get up faster. "Miss Mirandaaa…"

The servant made a noise of confusion before squeaking when a hand wrapped around her upper arm. Before she knew it she had been hoisted rather ungracefully to her feet, a nervous Wish yanking her back the way they had originally come.

"What is it?" she asked dazedly, just as a guard spotted the two of them and pointed.

"Oh, man…" Wish groaned anxiously, sliding his hand down to grip Miranda's wrist and turning his body to face the street ahead of him. "We've gotta run!"

"_Whaaat?_" Miranda cried as Wish tried to bolt off as quickly as his legs would carry him. Unfortunately, Miranda's uninspired pace was weighing him down like an anchor, and the guards were already yelling at each other something about the woman who recognized Cross and the boy who apparently knew the criminal.

"_Run!_" Wish pled, finally convincing Miranda to barely match his fast stride. Together they rounded the corner and began to dash through the smaller roads. Some of the soldiers gave chase and followed them beneath the jaded buildings. Their heavy weapons slowed them down enough so that the fleeing duo could manage to keep just out of reach for some time, even with the confused Miranda not running at her full speed. The maid wasn't quite sure what was happening or why they were running. Sure, they were being chased, but weren't those guards on _their_ side?

"Why are we running?" Miranda gasped, almost tripping over the hem of her dress.

Wish stumbled with her, catching himself before he fell to the ground. He was almost out of breath. "Isn't it obvious? They're chasing us!"

"I know but…" Miranda wheezed. "Why are they chasing _us?_"

They ducked through an open alley with Wish leading. He seemed to know where he was going. "Miss Miranda," he tried to explain brokenly, "you can't just go throwing Cross Marian's name around! People will want to know how you know him!"

"Well it's not that I know him!" Miranda huffed indignantly. "I just used to see him around the palace is all!"

"Not the point!" Wish shouted, pulling them behind a large building, its front fenced off. The wild smell was the familiar one of many animals being held together, probably in stalls. Wish stopped behind several stacks of hay, taking only a short moment to catch his breath as he directed Miss Miranda to sit beneath the towering bails. "Stay here. I'll be back."

Miranda obeyed, shivering with adrenaline and exhaustion as the orphan climbed a bail to reach an open window in the low building. Wish dropped unceremoniously into the stable, grateful to see that there was no one inside. He worked as a stable boy here on occasion when he was in desperate need of some money (well, he was _always_ in desperate need of money). For that reason, he felt a twinge of guilt at what he was about to do, but he didn't have much of a choice. He pulled a bridle, saddle, and all of the other equipment he needed from their places and ran over to an older, darker horse. This horse wasn't anything special, but of all the horses Wish had worked with in that particular stable, it was the easiest to handle. Wish didn't have the time to mess with the faster, more stubborn animals, and this one had sort of taken a liking to him anyways. When he was finished with all the necessary things, Wish hopped up on the old gelding and steered him out of the paddock.

No soldiers were around that Wish could see so he rode the old horse over to where Miranda was hiding. Her hands were clutching her head in worry, and Wish could only imagine the strange things running through her mind—Miranda seemed the type to shoulder a wild imagination.

"Over here," Wish called, drawing Miranda to the horse. "Get on."

Miranda looked the horse up and down, nervous beads of sweat rolling down her face one by one. "Um…I've never ridden a horse before."

"I'll bet," Wish would have smiled if not for the given situation. "Climb up on a bail and just throw your leg over."

Miranda struggled onto the hay, her shoes not entirely agreeing with their footing. The older woman wobbled a little bit as she straightened up, holding her arms towards the horse. Wish offered his hand to the maid, which she accepted before tentatively raising a foot into the air.

"Just throw it over," Wish repeated anxiously. Miranda gulped and slid the toe of the shoe up the side of the horse. The horse scuffled in place in response, not sure what the woman was doing. Miranda did not expect this and was throw off-balance, stopped from falling over only by her hand in Wish's. Wish made a noise of exasperation, prompting Miranda to try again. This time she closed her eyes and threw her entire body with her leg into the air. For a moment she managed to slide onto the saddle, but the force of her jump threw her over the other side of the horse and she plummeted to the ground.

It took Wish dismounting and personally helping her for Miranda to finally make it into place. Wish slid in front of her and grabbed the reigns of the horse before breaking the horse into a full sprint. Miranda yelped and grabbed Wish's torso, clinging desperately to the younger as he directed the horse southwards.

"Where are we going?" Miranda eventually garbled, not quite getting over the high speed.

Wish took a moment to respond. He didn't like it, but staying in the city wasn't much of an option if they wanted to avoid their pursuers, especially with the viceroy's guard present as well.

"Barthule, apparently," Wish decided, remembering what his master had told him before disappearing. It wasn't that he wanted to go, but his curiosity was piqued. Master Maynard never affirmed or declined anything; in fact, Wish had more questions than he should have had at that moment.

"But…!" Miranda wailed, "but why? We must go to the viceroy and inform him of the marshal and-"

"Miss Miranda," Wish said, "I don't think you understand at all. If we go back, those soldiers will tear us apart."

"But…we can explain-"

"Explain all you like! What matters is if they'll believe you!" Wish turned back to look at the older woman and, sincerely, explained, "Cross Marian is more than a wanted man. To them, you using his name means you might know something. They'll want to know how you know him, where to find him, everything they can possibly think of. Whether or not you know that, they won't let you go."

"That's…" Miranda trailed off, not sure how to respond.

"I've heard Barthule isn't very far," Wish said. "I don't know about this Dering, but I bet we'll reach some place by nightfall."

Wish fell silent, focusing more on the road ahead of them. In the back of his mind, he really did want to reach Dering, hoping that this "Sachiko" could answer some if not all of his newly formed questions. Something had been bothering him about what Master Maynard had told him, something more than anything else.

_The golem I designed to respond solely to Allen Walker: Timcanpy._

That golem was hiding safely in one of Wish's sleeves, but it wasn't the real subject of Wish's thoughts. More than the idea that Master Maynard designed golems or that the man had been acquainted with royalty, one thing Master Maynard had implied with that sentence was being churned in Wish's brain. If Master Maynard had been telling the truth…

A golem that was supposed to answer only to Prince Allen had turned on for _him_.

* * *

Dering was a city known for everything rough around the edges. It sat nestled in the path of the long river dragging across the continent, even passing near places such as the capital city of the Lee's kingdom. But Dering was nothing like a capital. Despite being located in a southern duchy, its culture and even sentiments were mixed and scattered. The rugged that lived there had no sympathies for the law or its upholders. It was a rough town.

The river and its location made Dering a common stop for travelers boating downstream to the East or riding along upstream to the West. Being such a crossroads found the hold on Dering by Queen Maria to be lax. Rebels and sometimes anarchists decided it to be a safe haven. The mixed crowd contributed to the do-or-die atmosphere prevalent in the city. No one was afraid to speak their mind, so long as they were strong enough to back it up.

A well-known pub in the city played host to parties of such sentiments every night. Its spirits and lively atmosphere attracted travelers on occasion looking for a wild time. It wasn't uncommon for rumors to fly about infamous outlaws being spotted relaxing there.

And rumors had been flying about Cross Marian.

The bar's owner, a man named Bernard, had mentioned to a cousin a week or so ago news of the wanted marshal, and, as gossip flies, it reached the ears of a confident of the Duke of Swane. The exact words of the original exchange were uncertain, but the confident understood the most important matter at hand. Over time, the inhabitants of Dering had grown sympathetic for Marshal Cross. Whether or not that meant the city was willing to harbor the criminal was uncertain, but alleged sightings of the man were growing over time, and Bernard was certain he saw the marshal step into his pub the week before.

Naturally, the confident relayed this information over to his duke as soon as possible. It was no secret that Lavi was adamantly searching for Marshal Cross. Most people saw it as a harmless endeavor, even if some called it rash and a waste of time, but Lavi had not relented. If he ever managed to find the marshal, with any luck, he'd get a much bigger prize than the bounty everyone was head over heels for.

So he left straight from Lenalee's home at the crack of dawn. By horseback, he reached the city by the afternoon, but it was unlikely he would be able to return the same way. Traveling from the mountains by horse was fairly easy, but if he wanted to make it back in any decent amount of time, he would go by river. The river flowed downstream from Dering back through the mountains surrounding the East and would get him back without all of the trouble of tired-out animals. For this reason, he left his horse with an employee of Barthule's capital city. The horse would eventually make it back to Lavi's duchy.

Once that was taken care of, Lavi set off down the market street, intent on finding Bernard's pub. It was certainly the best place to start, and even if he couldn't get anything useful out of Bernard, it sounded like a hot spot for Cross gossip. He thought it very likely that some sort of bounty hunters would be hanging out there as well; the pub could just be his big break.

_How many 'big breaks' is that now?_ Lavi wondered snidely, imagining Lenalee's voice asking that question in his head. He sighed, wrapping his arms behind his head as he walked idly down the road. His travel clothes were very worn out from all his Cross hunting, which worked to his advantage. It was probably a bad idea to look rich or important in such a rugged place. Looking around, the common crowd did not seem very approachable, especially considering a good percentage of them were twice Lavi's size. Lavi's face fell, wondering where all the normal-looking people were.

"Oomph!"

Lavi fell back after colliding with something soft, stumbling to catch himself before he fell to the ground. Whoever he had crashed into was not so fortunate, as the unmistakable sound of someone toppling over mixed in with the busy market noises of the city. Lavi's eyes fell on said person before widening when he realized he had bumped into a woman.

A rather young, very cute woman at that. Lavi was almost frozen as he noted the girl's long brown hair and round red face scrunched in discomfort. It took him a moment before he jumped to action quickly, running over to the girl.

"Oh, I'm sorry, ma'am," Lavi apologized hurriedly, offering his hand and helping her to her feet.

The girl rubbed her back gingerly and brushed off her dress. "Ah…thanks."

Lavi was awestruck again when a pair of large, brown eyes locked with his and his face grew warm. This feeling…oh he knew what this was! Lenalee had hit him over the head many times in the past because of this feeling! She said something about needing to grow up and learn some respect, but Lavi's body tensed and shook from craving his conditioned reflex to this feeling. There wasn't much he could do about it, but he clamped a hand over his mouth in a futile effort to stop any words from leaving it.

"Are you alright, ch-?" the girl asked, looking at Lavi with confusion and mild concern, but she cut herself off before she could finish her sentence. Lavi had turned away from her and wrapped his scarf around his face, unable to contain himself any longer.

"STRIIIIIIIIKE!" came the muffled bellow from the stricken duke, perplexing all in the immediate vicinity.

By the time Lavi had recovered and turned back to address the girl, he was on the receiving end of some very bizarre looks, but he was very used to this by now.

"Are you alright, miss? Mind if I ask your name?" an energetic Lavi rambled, grabbing the girl's hand. His eyes were on fire with passion that would have been familiar to anyone who had seen the duke court a pretty lady before (generally, anyone who had met the duke _ever_.)

The girl grimaced, taking a step back and lightly tugging on her hand. "Um…" Any person in their right mind would be able to see just how uncomfortable the girl was with Lavi. It was clear she did not trust the stranger to have the best intentions, but running didn't occur to her as the best plan. Perhaps she could ward the man off with cold words. "Chomesuke."

* * *

A/N: After long last, chapter 1 for everybody to enjoy! I'd like to ask if everyone could review again. In my most uninspired hours, I read the reviews I've received and they really help me to write more.


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